


Nowhere to Hide

by GleeCastOST



Series: Nowhere to Hide - The Series [1]
Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: F/F, angst and a lot of it, directly post season 1, maybe its the quaratine, not sure where this is going, puns, some fluff I guess, this show is driving me crazy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GleeCastOST/pseuds/GleeCastOST
Summary: Ava managed to lead her sisters to a victory against Adriel in the Vatican, but at what cost? The fractured group has to find a way to get their emotional and physical trauma in check - and fast, because they aren't out of danger yet.
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Series: Nowhere to Hide - The Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877140
Comments: 60
Kudos: 608





	1. Nun Too Happy

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I don't know how to write, but this show made me fEeL tHiNgS and I need an outlet. Come suffer and be gay - please excuse my subpar writing skills. Leave comments and feedback if you really wanna roast me.

Ava hit the cobblestones of the Vatican courtyard. Her head cracked against them a moment later. As her vision blacked out, from the edges inward, she saw her friends running towards her.  
“My friends...my NUN...friends…” She stuttered, while blood dripped from her mouth. She laughed quietly to herself at the oddity of the situation, before succumbing to her wounds and the darkness.  
“Why is she laughing?” Lilith asked, with the less than the usual venom, and a touch of concern too.  
“Fuck if I know, but we have to get out of dodge, fast!” Mary replied.  
“Camila, go find some suitable transport and meet us in the street, quickly! Mary, Lilith, help me pick her up.” Beatrice’s voice was terse and controlled, but there was a strain of worry beneath the surface. 

After extricating themselves from the Vatican, Beatrice and Camila tended to Ava in the back of a stolen, but thankfully nondescript, van. Mary drove while Lilith sat silently in the second row of seats. Beatrice and Camila worked in near silence; the engine’s steady rumbling filling the cabin.  
“Bea… Is she going to make it?” Camila whispered, desperate not to disturb the oddly quiet atmosphere.  
“I...I don’t know…” Somehow, her statement seemed to darken the mood even more. “All we can right now is find somewhere safe to spend the night.”  
“I’m working on it,” Mary called from the front seat.  
“We have to have faith that the halo can out-heal whatever damage Adriel did,” Beatrice whispered to Camila, “And we can’t do much to help right now. We have no equipment, no light, no medicine, no safe place to go, no-.” She was interrupted by Camila shushing her.  
“Hey,” the younger girl said, putting her hand on Beatrice’s shoulder, “We are doing our best. You are doing your best. We had no way of knowing how wrong today would go. I know you care about Ava, we all do. We all care. Try to remember that.”  
Beatrice sighed, knowing Camila was right. That didn’t make it any easier to cope with, though.

Several hours later, they arrived at a small house, somewhere in Northern Italy.  
“Don’t ask.” Mary stated, tiredly. “Friend of a friend’s house. We’ll be safe here...Hopefully.” No one had the energy to argue, or suggest that they continue travelling. Ava may have been the worst off, but none of them were in fighting shape. 

After, rather unceremoniously, they carried Ava into the house and set her up on one of the beds. Camila, who was unaccustomed to taking charge, found herself giving orders and trying to organise her sisters.  
“Mary, go get some sleep. You got us here in one piece, you’ve earned it. We will need someone to be rested, especially if Adriel decides to pay us a visit.” Mary agreed with a nod, exiting the room and heading down the hallway. Camila noticed that she seemed to already know her way around, a fact she filed away for later. “Lilith, you too. I mean, you literally came back from hell and _teleported _to Italy.”__

____

____

The now grey haired Lilith accepted this without argument. While Camila was giving orders, Beatrice had begun gathering supplies to take care of Ava with. Silently, she had also been gathering her nerves. It was only a few weeks ago that Shannon had been in this same position - and we all know how that ended. 

“Thank you, Camila.” Beatrice said quietly, once the two of them were alone by Ava’s bedside. “I don’t know how you are holding it together right now. I am- I can’t- I-” She surprised herself but crying, for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. Camila was shocked too, as normally Beatrice was about as open as a high security bank vault. With an embarrassed and shy smile, she continued, “It’s been a rough few weeks. Enough emotions, though, we have first aid to do.”

Camila began cutting through the bloody and dirty remains of Ava’s shirt, while Beatrice set her jaw and tried not to think about how much of Ava that she was seeing for the first time. She quickly forgot her nervousness, however, when she saw the glowing blue wound cutting severely across Ava’s ribcage. Divinium. Camila sucked in her breath abruptly, looking over at Beatrice. 

“It’s Divinium.” Camila said quietly, stating the obvious.  
“I’m aware.” Beatrice hated the venom that she heard in her reply. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It doesn’t look like Divinium shards though…” She got closer to Ava’s seemingly lifeless form, examining the wound more closely. Camila followed suit.  
“It’s like… Divinium bruising. I think we’ll have to cut away as much of the infected skin here as realistically possible, and hope that the halo can heal the rest.” Camila tried to say this calmly, but the shaking in her voice gave her away.  
Beatrice rolled up her sleeves and began preparing their few tools. “Okay.” She tried to detach her emotions from the situation as best as possible, she would need a clear head for this.

A world away, Ava was in a coffin. Her coffin? _Well this is new. _Trying to suppress her panic, she looked to either side, confirming that this was, in fact, a coffin. _Okay, NOW I can panic. _With restricted movements, she managed to put her feet against the lid of the coffin, to force her way out. To Ava’s surprise, the coffin popped open easily - it wasn’t even buried.____

_____ _

_____ _

_Finally, something goes my way. Although, I am kind of disappointed, honestly. What’s the point of the dramatic coffin reveal if it isn’t even going to be buried, it’s like half the fun. _Ava continued her sarcastic internal monologue while she let her eyes adjust to the bright light outside the coffin. Moments later, she realised she was in a graveyard. _Predictable. That’s where most coffins are. _The gravestone closest to her was for Sister Francis. _I should feel bad about that, maybe. I don’t though. _She murdered me first! Beyond Sister Francis’ grave, there were other headstones, too far away to see immediately. Stepping out the coffin, Ava went to investigate.______

_____ _

_____ _

Shannon’s grave was next. Ava hadn’t known her, well not really. Maybe it was an attachment fostered by the halo, or maybe secondhand sadness from her sisters, but Ava felt a tear slip down her cheek. She laid her hand on the headstone. _I’m sorry. I know you were probably better at this than I ever will be. _After a deep breath, she continued her morbid walk.__

____

__

The next set of graves was confusing, to say the least. Camila, Mary, Lilith, and Beatrice all had assigned plots. Ava dropped to her knees, tears fully flowing now. _I don’t understand. _  
“But I do.” A voice said, from behind her.  
Whipping around, Ava saw him. “Father Vincent… The betrayer.”  
“Now that’s harsh,” He said, coyly. “I prefer to think that I was always playing for the same team, yet no one was smart enough to figure it out.” Ava stared at him, silently. “Do you understand now?” He asked.  
“Understand… what?” Ava’s eyes were still full of tears and she choked on her words.  
“This,” Father Vincent gestured at the headstones. “I fought for you to remain the Warrior Nun, instead of removing the halo and giving it to Lilith. Not because I had faith in you,” he paused to chuckle, “No, but because I knew you would make everything easier. An untrained, selfish, stupid Warrior Nun? With no ties to anyone in the OCS? It’s the best situation I could hope for, really.”__

____

____

Ava knew that he was right. She hung her head and turned back around, to face the graves of her new friends. _He’s right. He’s right. I finally have friends… a family. And they will die because of me. Or maybe I’m already in hell. God knows I deserve it. _Turning back around, she realised that Father Vincent was gone. Instead, he was replaced by her friends. A version of them at least. They’re wrong. Their faces are wrong. And they were. Their faces were twisted and too long, their bodies not even close to proportional. They slowly walked towards Ava, limbs stretched and moved awkwardly. A scream escaped her lips, but seemed to linger in the air.__

____

____

“Camila! You’re hurting her!” Beatrice yelled, as Ava’s yell pierced the otherwise silent house.  
“We have to remove as much Divinium as possible! You know that! Keep your affection out of this and be logical.” Camila was much sharper than normal, but in fairness, she was right. If large traces of Divinium were left, Ava wouldn’t heal properly. Then, she really could die. 

Beatrice stopped, shook. “My affect-... I’m sorry. You’re right. We are nearly done. Can you finish this? My hands are shaking too badly. Nerves.” Did Camila know? Beatrice busied herself with less daunting tasks while trying to keep her mind off of that possibility. Using a cool, damp cloth, she gently wiped the sweat and blood off of Ava’s small face. 

“I’m done.” Camila said, shattering Beatrice’s thoughts. “I did the best that I could. We need to clean the wound and hope for the best.”  
“Thank you. I’m sorry.” Beatrice was proud of Camila for stepping up, as things were far from normal and she’d only been on a few missions prior to this. They both worked silently to clean and dress Ava’s wounds. “Camila, go to bed. I will stay up with her, okay? Just in case…”  
Camila smiled, “Okay, thank you sister.” To Beatrice’s surprise, Camila gave her a quick hug before leaving the room. 

“It’s just you and me now, Ava.” Beatrice said, although unsurprisingly she didn’t get a reply. She pulled up a nearby chair, and tried to make herself comfortable. Despite the exhaustion and pain her body was obviously feeling, her brain felt like it was on fire. Beatrice tried to convince herself that this was just because of a mission gone wrong, but she was unsuccessful. 

Ava woke with a start, gasping, some time later. Beatrice was quick to get to her side. 

“Hi.”  
“Hi? Hi, Ava? You scared me - everyone, and all you have to say is HI?” Beatrice surprised herself with the sudden outburst.  
“I’m sorry to scare you,” Ava said, not meeting her eyes. “I guess you are NUN too happy with me.” She adds the last part with a cheeky smile. Beatrice can’t help but return that smile.


	2. Making a Habit of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava and her sisters try to find their footing and re-establish themselves after a tough battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay panic, gAy PaNiC. Dialogue heavy chapter, sorry for that.

Late morning light streamed through Ava’s window the next day. Everyone found themselves gathered for the first conversation, in a while, that hadn’t been rushed by danger.  
“You’re probably wondering why I have gathered you all here today.” Ava said with a chuckle, although no one else thought it was particularly funny. She was propped up against the headboard and colour had not yet returned to her cheeks.  
“Someone must be feeling better, I liked you better when you were on the brink of death.” Lilith mentioned quietly, although she had a hint of a smile. Despite a night of sleep, Lilith didn’t look much better than Ava; dark circles hung under her sad eyes. 

Truthfully, none of them looked great. The last few weeks seemed like a blur of fighting, running, injury, and fear. Beyond that, each of them reeked of repressed emotional trauma, the kind that occurs when you try to live off your fight or flight responses for too long. Mary was quick to state the obvious.  
“We look like shit.”  
“ _Language! _” Beatrice, Camila, and Lilith chorused in unison.  
“Whatever, you guys know I’m right.” After a short pause, she continued, “So, what’s the plan?” No one had an immediate answer. __

____

____

“I killed Sister Crimson.” Lilith broke the silence a few moments, although it wasn’t with the plan Mary had asked for.  
“You killed a nun?” Camila asked, shocked.  
“We’ve all killed,” Mary had a habit of stating the unfortunate truth, “Why is this a big deal?”  
“Sister Crimson is a nun!” Beatrice interjected, although she didn’t look particularly upset. None of them ever harboured feelings of kindness towards the Irish woman.  
“Is that like...a double sin or something?” Ava asked, somewhat genuinely.  
“It’s certainly not good. She was _technically _a member of the OCS, too.” Beatrice noted, deadpan.__

____

____

“Well, maybe this isn’t the best time to say this, but I also killed a nun.” Ava mumbled.  
“For fuck’s sake!” Mary exclaimed, earning herself another admonishment for her cursing.  
“She tried to kill me first! She _did _kill me first! It was self-defense.” Sin or not, the halo bearer’s defense was, at least, somewhat sound.  
“Enough of this.” Camila interrupted the bickering. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. These are extraordinary circumstances - Lilith, I think God would understand.”__

____

____

“Okay, okay,” Ava seemed to be winding up for more of her signature nonsense. “But are we going to talk about Lilith’s new demon powers?” Lilith glared at Ava, although the others had all been secretly wondering the same thing.  
“While Ava lacks a certain...tactfulness,” Beatrice’s words were measured, “This is pertinent to our...situation.”  
“I was in Hell. Not metaphorically, literally.” Lilith’s words seemed to suck the air out of the room. “Honestly, I am pretty sure you all either knew, or had guessed that.” Camila quickly and silently walked to Lilith to offer her support. She turned down the hug, however, so Camila had to settle with a hand on Lilith’s shoulder. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I don’t. I am still figuring it out. I feel… good, though. Stronger. Plus, I have claws.”

“Claws?” Mary was incredulous. Without speaking, Lilith held up her hand, with seemingly normal fingernails. Within moments, dark talon-like claws grew from where her normal fingernails had been. “Well, that’s new.” Mary was trying to keep the mood upbeat, but she was worried. Despite Lilith’s outward attempts to seem cold and untouchable, she knew she was sensitive and kind. Her journey to hell and demon powers can’t be weighing lightly on her, especially alongside her religion. Mary didn’t say anything else about the topic, but privately promised herself to discuss this with Lilith after some of the tension had diffused.

“Any other questions?” Lilith asked, barely disguising the anger in her voice.  
“Not for you, thank you Sister. I do have a question for Mary, though.” Camila was polite, as always.  
“Shoot.”  
“Where are we?” Camila’s question was obvious, yet no one else had thought to ask it.  
Mary looked down, without speaking, for a moment. “It was Shannon’s. She had saved up some money, plus she had some family money. She wanted a place...an escape from Cat’s Cradle…” She was uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, with none of the usual confidence she exuded. “Not Cat’s Cradle, exactly, but the eyes of the church. Shannon didn’t feel like we could… be together there. She bought this place for us…” A single tear escaped, a rarity for the infamous Shotgun Mary. “I wish we had been able to spend more time here.”

Camila regretted asking. Beatrice felt her face go red and hoped no one was looking at her. She had known that Shannon and Mary were together, of course, but she didn’t know that Shannon had struggled with her identity. Struggled like she was struggling now.  
“I’m sorry, Mary.” Ava apologised, surprising everyone, as she wasn’t always known for her self-awareness or tact.  
“Not your fault.” She quickly wiped her eyes. “All this standing around isn’t going to get us anywhere. I think we should be safe here for at least a few more days. No offense, but we could all use it. Camila and I can head into town for some supplies. Food, clothes, medical supplies: that sort of thing. Lilith, do you think you could secure the perimeter? Maybe check to see if anyone has been here? We can’t risk being discovered.”

Lilith nodded, exiting the room without saying goodbye to anyone. They heard the front door slam shut a moment later.  
“Beatrice, can you take care of dumbass here while we are gone? She might be a fool sometimes, but she is the best chance we have to defeat Adriel.”  
“ _Language! _But yes, I can.” Beatrice hoped that her voice sounded steadier than her heart felt. Camila and Mary left quickly afterwards, although Beatrice could hear them talking on their way out.  
“Way to take charge, Mary!” Camila was always so enthusiastic and kind.  
“Well, someone had to, we are kind of a trainwreck right now.” Mary wasn’t wrong.__

____

____

Beatrice lifted Ava’s shirt up and began undressing her wound without even looking at her first. She wasn’t trying to be rude, she was just… scared. This feeling was amplified when she felt Ava’s hand on her wrist.  
“Beatrice…?”  
“Yes, Ava.” She answered without meeting Ava’s eyes.  
“I failed, didn’t I?” The Father Vincent in her dream may have just been her own insecurities reflected back at her, but Ava couldn’t help but feel like he was right.  
Beatrice willed herself to meet Ava’s shining, dark eyes. “No, of course not. Why would you even think such a thing?”  
“After… When we were…” Ava shook her head and started her sentence again. “I had a dream, last night. Well, a nightmare. Father Vincent was there and you guys were all dead. Or… not really? It was weird. He said that he fought for me to keep the halo because he knew I would be an easy target. I don’t remember exactly what happened in the Vatican, but I know I failed to kill Adriel. I failed.” She took a breath and began again. “I’m sorry. I let you down. I let all of you down.”

Beatrice looked at Ava, not quite believing what she was hearing. It was rare enough for Ava to allow herself to be vulnerable, even more so for her to take responsibility for her actions.  
“I don’t think you failed.” Beatrice smiled. “You haven’t succeeded yet, but I know you will. I admit that we all had our doubts when you first became the halo bearer. Despite that, you have proven yourself again and again. You were brave in the Vatican.” She placed her hands on each side of Ava’s face. “I know you can do this. I know you can. But first, we need to get you back to full strength.”

Ava didn’t reply immediately. Rather, she laid back down and let Beatrice continue to assess her wound.  
“It hasn’t healed as much as I hoped. You might have some scaring. Camila did a good job on this last night, all things considered.” Beatrice’s face was contorted with focus, as she worked to disinfect what was left of the wound.  
“That’s okay, I hear chicks think scars are hot.” _Fuck! Did I say that out loud? Ava, get a grip! _  
“Chicks…?” Beatrice felt the tops of her ears go red and she hoped Ava didn’t notice.__

____

____

After a few more minutes of awkward panic between the two of them, Beatrice finished performing first aid. She pulled Ava’s shirt back down.  
“Can I go for a walk?” Ava, master of the non sequitur, asked suddenly.  
“I don’t think that’s a -”  
“Please? I am fine! Really! I have spent the last 12 years in a bed. Please?” Ava begged like a child, although Beatrice found it cute. Cute and hard to resist.  
“Fine. Okay. But I’m coming with you.” 

Ava got up, slowly and unsteadily. She winced at the pain, but would not be discouraged from her goal. Beatrice stood with her arms crossed, worried about what seemed like an unnecessary risk. After a few slightly sketchy moments, Ava made it outside… and promptly tripped over a stone. 

A strong pair of hands caught her, well before she hit the ground. “Be careful, Meemaw.”  
“Are you making a _joke? _” Ava was staring at Beatrice with a huge smile on her face.  
“Don’t worry, I’ll try not to make a HABIT of it.”__


	3. A Brief Respite and the Start of a Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters are still reeling but they know they have to make the journey back to Cat's Cradle. What will be waiting for them there? Are they walking into a trap? Everyone wrestles with anxiety as they begin the trip back to Andalusia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did not come easily, hopefully it is at least moderately readable. Stay safe out there!

Camila and Mary crashed through the door, loaded with bags.  
“Honey, I’m home!” Mary called, jauntily. Their spirited return seemed to alleviate some of the negative energy that hung in the air. At least, for a while. Everyone gathered in the modest kitchen, for the semi-ceremonial unbagging of groceries and supplies.

Camila handed a bundle of clothing each to Beatrice and Lilith. “Civilian clothes for you both.” She added, with a genuine smile. They both thanked her. “Ava, I didn’t know what you would want to wear…” Camila continued, handing her an outfit, “Sorry if you don’t like it, I tried my best.”  
“I’m sure it’s lovely,” Ava seemed distracted, but kind. “Thank you, Camila.”  
“Okay, everyone go get washed up and changed! Then we get to eat!” Mary was obviously more focused on unpacking groceries than continuing any conversation. Everyone quickly filed away to do as she asked.

As Beatrice was leaving to change, she felt a hand gently grab her wrist. “Do you mind...Do you think…” Ava was having trouble getting her words out. “Can you help me... with my clothes?” _Jeez Ava, can you be any smoother? _  
__“Oh, yes, of course.” Beatrice tried to remain neutral when she answered, although she was unsure if she succeeded. Of course Ava would still need help, she hadn’t fully healed yet. There was no other reason that she would want to be alone with _ _ _her.___

“I think I can manage the pants,” Ava mused, once they were both back in the bedroom, behind closed doors. “It’s the shirt that I think is going to be the real issue here.”  
“Okay. I’ll just… Turn around over here. Tell me when you are ready for my help.” Internally, Beatrice admonished herself for stuttering and being ‘awkward.’ After a few minutes of shuffling, a dull thud, and a few cuss words, Ava was ready.

“Okay, I’m ready,” She told Beatrice, slightly out of breath. Beatrice turned around.  
“Ava, why is your nose bleeding?” Beatrice grabbed a few of the leftover medical supplies off the table and crossed the room with a sigh.  
“I had a little bit more trouble than anticipated...with the pants.” Ava sheepishly admitted, while Beatrice dabbed at her nose.  
“I literally came in here to help you, why didn’t you say anything?”  
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you more uncomfortable than you already were.”

Beatrice sucked in a quick breath but didn’t reply right away. _Fucking brilliant Ava. Really, truly brilliant. Your tact and grace is unparalleled._ After finishing with Ava’s nose, Beatrice turned to the bed and grabbed the shirt that Camila had picked out.  
“Are you ready?” Beatrice asked Ava, who answered with a nod. Beatrice gently grabbed the bottom of what remained of Ava’s shirt and began to pull it off. Once the shirt was over her head, Ava couldn’t resist the golden opportunity for a joke.

“What, you’re not going to buy me dinner first?” She asked with a smile, even though Beatrice couldn’t actually see her face at the moment.  
“Ava…” Beatrice warned. _Oh you’ve really done it now, Ava. Why can you never just keep your mouth shut!?_  
“Sorry...I’m sorry” Ava whispered, almost inaudibly, as Beatrice freed her from her shirt.

Wordlessly, without acknowledging Ava’s apology, Beatrice pulled the new shirt over her head, as gently as realistically possible. The outfit Camila had picked for Ava was simple, light denim jeans that cut off above the ankle with a black v-neck t-shirt. Beatrice tried to suppress the voice in her brain that was screaming at her. Not screaming any words, mind you. Just screaming.

“So…” Ava began, “Do I look okay?” She did a pained, slow spin. Unable to contain herself, Beatrice tucked a stray piece of hair behind Ava’s ear.  
“You look beautiful.” Beatrice observed quietly. She maintained eye contact too, which was a rarity in itself. Ava didn’t pull away, either, or make a dumb joke. Just when both women thought there would be a moment between them, they were interrupted.

“LUNCH!” Mary called from the kitchen, breaking the spell between Ava and Beatrice.  
“Okay...well I’m going to… go eat…” Ava stuttered awkwardly, fiddling with her hands and looking at the floor.  
“I’ll meet you out there… I still have to change.” Beatrice replied, equally awkwardly, turning towards her own pile of clothes.

All eyes were on Ava as she entered the kitchen alone.  
“Despite the fact that your nose is bloody, you actually look nice.” Lilith observed from her seat at the table.  
“Yeah… There was a pants incident.” Ava mumbled, suddenly self-conscious.  
“Oh, I bet there was!” Mary laughed, then abruptly stopped when Camila shot her a look.

Beatrice wordlessly joined them at the table minutes later. Mary and Camila had put together a beautiful spread of local foods. Breads, fruit, cured salami, assorted cheeses, and the like. Ava tried to focus on the food to avoid thinking about what happened a few minutes ago. _Focus Ava, focus_. She doubly needed to focus to avoid thinking about how nice Beatrice looked without her habit on. Thankfully, Mary nagging Lilith gave her another distraction.

“Lilith, you need to eat something.”  
“I will, just not now. I’m not hungry.” Lilith replied, without looking up from her untouched plate.  
“Yes, now. Don’t make me get violent about it.” Mary was as subtle as a hammer, but she was effective. Lilith shoved a big piece of bread in her mouth and glared at Mary.

Several minutes of silence passed, as everyone was more concerned with eating than with talking. Finally, Camila broke the silence by, again, asking the obvious.  
“We’re going back to Cat’s Cradle, right?”  
“I don’t know. It would be the first place that Adriel and Father Vincent would look for us - if they are looking for us. We wouldn’t know what was there, we could be walking into a trap.” Beatrice’s logic was sound, yet she continued to weigh the options. “Conversely, we could be condemning everyone there by not returning. I don’t think we have enough information to make an unequivocally ‘correct’ decision.”

“If we could potentially be saving lives by going, we really have no choice!” Camila added, once again illustrating her intrinsic kindness.  
“I agree with Camila,” Ava announced, “It’s a risk, yeah. We can go in cautiously and ready to fight...although hopefully we won’t have to.”

Mary also agreed. “We need to get petrol, but we could make it there in a day if we take turns driving.”  
“I can help driving!” Ava interrupted.  
“Absolutely not, we’ll die before we get there.” Lilith noted, not entirely wrong. “Cat’s Cradle is our home. Whether or not we decide to go shouldn’t be the discussion we are having here. We need to figure out a plan for _when_ we get there.”

“I’m glad we are in agreement.” Beatrice looked as though she was already making plans and calculations in her head. “I think we should leave tonight. Under the cover of darkness. We can clean up and get ready to leave after lunch. Time could be of the essence here.”

Ava was unbelievably nervous. The afternoon had passed too quickly, almost in a blur. She knew it was the right thing to do - going back to Cat’s Cradle. Despite that, she was in no hurry to get head to head with Adriel again. _What if this is what Father Vincent was talking about in my dream? What if going back leads to everyone dying? It would be my fault, of course._

Mary took the first shift driving and they set off at sunset. It was a beautiful evening, with purple and orange streaks littering the sky. Everyone was trying to stay cheerful, but there was an unmistakable tension in the air. Camila sat next to Mary in the passenger seat, a map laid out across half the dashboard and into her lap.

Lilith sat alone in the next row, with headphones in. Ava still found a way to annoy her though, pulling out one of her earbuds, she couldn’t help but ask.  
“Are nuns allowed to have phones?” Ava chuckled, everyone else laughed too. Everyone except Lilith.  
“If they keep me from killing you, I think God would understand.” Lilith flashed Ava a rare smile following her comeback, but then turned around and put her earbud back in. She might have physically been in the same car as them, but she seemed a million miles away.

Beatrice shared the last row of seats with Ava. She distracted herself by visualising herself practicing various forms of martial arts. Mental practice was better than no practice, after all. She would need to be at the top of her game if they were going up against Adriel again.

Even with the overwhelming anxiety filling her body, Ava found herself calmed by her close proximity to Beatrice. Despite her best efforts to make jokes and conversation, she quickly fell asleep on Beatrice’s shoulder - the last few days taking their toll.

Ava woke up in the coffin, again. _Again? My brain is too lazy to come up with new and exciting nightmares._ With less apprehension than the first time, she opened the lid and climbed out. This time, however, she wasn’t in the graveyard. Cat’s Cradle? Okay, maybe my brain isn’t lazy, but it definitely is predictable.

Crossing the courtyard, Ava headed into the church. It was a war zone, or what was left of one. Dead bodies were strewn across the floor, some hung over railings and pews. Even in the dream, Ava could smell the unmistakable scent of blood and death. Her stomach turned and her eyes burned. _My fault._

Lilith’s body was the first one she saw that she still recognised. _God, Lilith. I don’t want her to die...not for me, not again._ Ava sat there for several minutes, wishing this dream would end. Unfortunately for her, no such thing happened, forcing her to carry on.

Camila was next. Her small frame was bloodied and still against the back wall of the church, her hands still grasping her crossbow. Ava bent down to pay her respects when the entire world began to shake. _For fuck’s sake, what now?_ She turned around suddenly, expecting an ambush.

Beatrice had been hyper aware of Ava for the last 78 minutes, not like she was counting though. It was impossible for her to focus on anything else as Ava slept so close to her. Understandably, she was quick to notice the feeling of damp on her shoulder. She turned to look at Ava’s face, expecting to be able to make fun of her for drooling. Instead, she found that she was crying.

“Ava…” Beatrice whispered, giving her shoulder a hearty shake. “Hey, wake up.”  
Ava opened her eyes with a shock and saw Beatrice and her sisters alive and well.  
“Oh, sorry.” Ava tried to sneakily wipe the tears from her eyes. “Was I bothering you? Hurting you? Sorry, sorry.”  
“No, none of that.” Beatrice was quick to answer. She took Ava’s face in her hands. “Hey, are you okay?”  
Ava sighed. “You guys were all dead again. It was my fault, again. I’m sorry.”

“Ava, you don’t need to apologise. It is normal to be scared and you have faced a lot since becoming the halo bearer. More than a lot. I promise that I will do everything in my power to support you, as long as you promise to trust your team. Also, I need you to promise to stop apologising to me so much. You never apologise to anyone else.” Beatrice told her in a whisper, as she wanted their conversation to stay just between the two of them.

“I...I won’t let you die, or anyone else.” Ava was shy, but adamant. “I finally found a family - friends. I don’t want to lose that so soon.” Her vulnerability was still a rare sight for Beatrice, although she felt special that she was the one that Ava trusted with her innermost turmoil. So special, in fact, that her cheeks were hot and flushed. Thankfully, no one could tell in the dark van.

“I know you won’t, I trust you.” Beatrice told her, honestly. She pulled Ava into a slightly awkward hug, given the seatbelts restraining them. Ava unclipped her seatbelt shortly after though, so she could be comfortably closer to Beatrice.


	4. Empty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava goes a little crazy, Beatrice makes a confession, and basically nothing else happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the next chapter will have a little more sauce

After a long night of driving, and a long morning of driving, the sisters found themselves on a hill outside of town. They were still a few miles away, but the height allowed them to scope out Cat’s Cradle - at least somewhat. Thankfully, Camila had her tactical binoculars, which allowed them to assess the situation more thoroughly. Everyone crowded her, waiting for her to report her findings, while simultaneously squinting to see if they could pick any details out from a distance. 

“It’s… Empty.” Camila reported, after what seemed like an hour. In reality, it was about four minutes. 

“Empty? What do you mean, empty?” Lilith was on the verge of yelling as she asked this, pacing around with nervous anger. 

“Empty, as in there is no one there. No patrols, no movement, no bodies, no nothing!” Camila explained, with frustration in her voice. She stepped in front of an angrily pacing Lilith, blocking her path. She gently placed her hand on Lilith’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down for a moment. 

Handing her the binoculars with the other hand, Camila urged Lilith to look for herself. Even in the group's many moments of distress, Camila was able to retain an extraordinarily kind and level head. As Lilith confirmed Camila’s report, Beatrice was trying to logically work through every possibility. 

“Best case scenario, someone was able to warn them before Adriel showed up. Maybe he didn’t show up at all? Worst case scenario, this is a trap and we are walking into an ambush…” She trailed off, but continued weighing scenarios in her head. 

“Or we roll up and everyone’s already dead. Like maybe we can’t see any bodies from here, but that doesn’t mean everything is fine.” Ava hypothesised. She ran her hands through her hair as though she was trying to hold her brain in. “It’d be my fault and -.”

Mary interrupted her with a strong clap to the back. “Hey, get it together kid.” Ava stopped spiraling for a moment. “This isn’t solely on you, either. We all agreed to this plan, before everything went tits up. Trust your team, okay?” Ava silently nodded. 

Beatrice was silently grateful that Mary helped Ava with this one. Being close to her was getting more difficult every day, at least, if she wanted to keep her vows it was. Lilith spoke next, interrupting Beatrice’s confused internal monologue. 

“Okay, let’s go. We can take the car a little bit closer, but then we should probably continue on foot.” 

No one spoke. It wasn’t that Lilith’s plan was bad, because it wasn’t. It was probably the most reasonable way for them to return to Cat’s Cradle. Moreso, no one was sure if they were ready for another full-on fight yet. The short car ride passed quickly and wordlessly. Before Ava knew it, she was stepping back out. She knew that there was still a mile to walk until they got there, but when you’re nervous, time has a way of moving more quickly. 

_ Alright, this is it. Try to focus you dumbass. You can barely cope with the nightmares as it is, imagine if you get everyone killed now. Okay, focus, what do you remember about fighting? Anything? Oh my God I suck.  _

A feeling in her hand broke Ava out of her panicked thoughts. Beatrice had grabbed it and offered her a small, shy smile.  _ Beatrice.  _ She dropped Ava’s hand almost as quickly as she grabbed it, although the warmth in her smile helped Ava calm down. As Beatrice turned away, Ava smiled to herself.  _ This is what you have to fight for. Despite the pain and danger and injury… Well, this has still been the best time of my life. I don’t have the option of failing, I just don’t.  _

Too quickly for comfort, they found themselves crouched awkwardly behind a low wall. Camila was in the point position, trying to assess the area for threats. 

“I don’t see anything. We might be alone here. Everyone ready to move?” She asked after several antagonising minutes of silence. 

“Yes, let’s go!” Lilith whispered as she vaulted over the wall and made a run for the door. 

At the door of the Cat’s Cradle cathedral, no one could agree on how to proceed.

“We shouldn’t go in the main door, there are tons of quieter ways in.” Beatrice whispered, tactician to a fault. 

“There would have been guards if anyone was here!” Mary was disagreeing; she wasn’t the biggest fan of being stealthy. “But if it makes you feel better, I’ll go in first, guns out.”

“That doesn’t make anyone feel better, Mary!” Camila added, frustrated with the conversation as a whole. 

_ It’s time I took a risk for the group, instead of letting others risk their lives for me. Plus, I have superpowers. I am basically Superman.  _ Ava reasoned with herself and then phased through the wall before anyone had time to argue about it. 

Ava gasped as her worst fears were confirmed. It was just like her dream, dead bodies littered the massive room and the stench of death hung in the air. She closed her eyes for a moment… And opened them to an empty cathedral. 

“What the fuck…?” She whispered, to herself.  _ Oh, I’m really going crazy aren’t I? Christ, this is not a good look. Get your shit together, Ava! You don’t have the luxury of going totally batshit right now.  _

She steadied herself, took a few deep breaths, and phased back through the wall. 

“It’s empty.” Ava told her sisters, slightly out of breath. Camila, Mary, and Lilith filed into the building quickly, to check for themselves. Beatrice, however, stayed behind with Ava for a moment. 

“Ava, that was incredibly irresponsible.” Ava was already the smallest girl in the group, but she seemed to shrink further at Beatrice’s admonishment. 

“I’m sorry… I just… Wanted to help…” 

“Be that as it may, that was stupid. What would have happened if it wasn’t empty? Hmm? What if you were hurt - again?!” Beatrice almost couldn’t believe how angry she was.

“But that didn’t happen! It’s fine! I don’t understand why you are so frustrated with me, I did what any decent Warrior Nun would do!” Ava argued, although she wasn’t even sure if she was right about that last part. 

“Yes, but… I care about you, okay? Happy?” Beatrice retorted quickly, before realising what she had actually said. 

Ava didn’t reply right away.  _ She cares about me. Just as a friend though, probably, right?  _ She was so caught off guard by Beatrice’s words that she didn’t even realise she was now standing outside alone.  _ Just genius. Very smooth, very suave. Killing the game, Ava.  _ She continued to chastise herself for her awkwardness while she walked in. 

After a careful combing of each building, the sisters confirmed that they were truly alone at the Cat’s Cradle. The training room felt especially empty and quiet. Normally, it was busy at all hours as sisters trained martial arts and weapons skills. Beatrice especially loved the anonymity of the training room, how every sound was absorbed by the high, ornate ceilings. Currently, however, its stark emptiness almost made her ears ring. 

“So… What do we do now?” Ava asked, trying to be present and a part of the team, lest she dwell on Beatrice’s words more than she already was. 

“There is no precedence for this situation.” Camila answered, with the slightest edge of panic in her voice. 

“It’s not safe to stay here.” Lilith hissed, from her perch on a nearby table. 

“I agree with demon girl,” Mary added, earning herself a glare. “We can take an hour or two to gather some supplies, but then we need to be out of here.” 

“I have another stupid idea…” Ava added, looking down to avoid any pointed looks from Beatrice. “We have been on the defensive since Adriel escaped his tomb… What if we brought the fight to him?” Ava paused. “I know I failed to kill him the first time, I’m sorry. But maybe... Well, if we had the element of surprise… Maybe we could turn the tide in our favour.

“Even if that wasn’t a stupidly dangerous idea, which it is, we have no idea where or how to find Adriel.” Beatrice obviously was not pleased with Ava’s idea, although she wasn’t wrong, either. 

“There are some entries... A few historical records…” Camila seemed to be thinking out loud. “I would need some time to gather them, but there might be useful resources in the archives here.” 

“Alright, that settles it then. I’ll go get the car and then we can pack up properly.” Mary was already delegating tasks between the sisters. “Camila, head to the archives and get whatever you need. Try to keep it reasonable,” Mary added, with a knowing look. Camila smiled and quickly headed down the hall. 

Mary continued delegating, “Lilith, gather any weapons, armour, bullets, bombs, or whatever else you think we might need.” 

“So, by the bucket, then?” Lilith laughed as she headed to the armoury. 

“Beatrice, can you gather any camping equipment we have and bring it out to the car?” Mary asked, “Along with any other random stuff you think we might need.”

“Yes, of course.” Beatrice nodded and left the room, leaving Ava alone with no task. 

“What do you want me to do, Mary?” Ava had as much enthusiasm about helping as a puppy. 

“Ummm....” Mary didn’t have any tasks that were suited to Ava’s…. Unique skill set. “How about you head down to the kitchen and gather some snacks that aren’t perishable?”

“You got it chief!” Ava yelled, already halfway down the hallway.


	5. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters try to stay hidden as they work on a plan to find Adriel. Ava wrestles with self doubt and also fails to put up a tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suffer with me

“I’ve never been camping before!” Ava exclaimed, with the excitement of a small child. 

Ava felt a hand on her shoulder. “I love how you find the best in every situation.” Camila told her with a smile and without a hint of condescension. 

Camila took the first shift driving and Lilith got stuck with navigation duty. Mary wasted no time in stretching out along the whole second row of the van, promptly falling asleep. Beatrice shared the last row with Ava, a reality that they were both acutely aware of. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier.” Beatrice apologised, once she was sure Mary was asleep and wouldn’t eavesdrop on them. 

“No, it’s okay. You were right. It was stupid.” Ava was normally the queen of brevity, but their  _ moment  _ earlier still had her reeling. 

“Maybe, but it was also really brave. You might just be good at this whole thing.” Beatrice added with a smile. 

Ava smiled back and then whispered, “I like you too, by the way.”  _ Haha HA. She thinks I mean like, just in the friend way, like how she said it. This is an absolutely brilliant plan.  _ Obviously, Ava wildly misjudged Beatrice’s earlier meaning, as well as her understanding of Ava’s confession. 

They both turned away from conversation with a blush, looking out the window. Beatrice felt as if she would scream if she didn’t bite her mouth shut. Ava wasn’t fairing much better and she was worried Beatrice would be able to hear her heartbeat if it got any louder or faster. 

Despite her instincts, and the burning of her skin, Beatrice slowly slid her hand across the seat and over to Ava’s hand. With slow, graceful motions, she intertwined her fingers in Ava’s. Relieved that Ava didn’t immediately pull away, she tried to calm herself. Ava’s thoughts were equally tumultuous.  _ Maybe I misjudged this situation. God, I am such an idiot! Beatrice has such soft hands, especially for someone with such refined combat skills.  _

They both sat silently, slightly panicking, for several hours. Still, they maintained at least one point of contact for the entire ride. Beatrice wasn’t positive, but she thought that she saw Camila flash her a smile in the rearview mirror. 

After driving down several dirt roads, a few bouts of motion sickness, and Ava’s endless snack obsession, they were ready to set up camp. Far from any popular civilian spots and surrounded by hills, the sisters found themselves in a large clearing surrounded by dense forest. It was the perfect location for laying low, as the road that they took was almost nonexistent. 

The jarring motion of the car stopping woke Mary up, although she was less than pleased at the prospect of being awake. 

“There ain’t no rest for the wicked, huh?” She mumbled, mostly to herself, before kicking the door open. Everyone else followed suit, to begin unpacking the supplies.

Camila took point for this task, carefully removing their tents and handing them to whoever was behind her to take them. Unfortunately, the first person in line was Ava. For what she lacked in practical skills, she made up for with enthusiasm. In most cases, however, enthusiasm cannot set up a tent. This became readily apparent later, when there were two perfectly set up tents, and one collapsed blob with a wildly gesticulating person inside. 

_ It’s too bad none of those outdoor shows actually had tent tutorials. They never showed those parts! This is embarrassing, I’m like a superpowered newborn baby.  _ Ava chastised herself as she rolled around in her deflated looking tent. The sound of a zipper opening broke through her internal dialogue. A moment later, Beatrice’s face appeared in the collapsed tent entrance. 

“Hi, do you need help?” 

“I’m just…”  _ Be cool, Ava, be COOL.  _ “This is just a bit more… IN TENTS than I expected!” Ava joked with a huge smile. She fully expected Beatrice to groan, but she actually smiled back.

“Wow, very original. Wait a moment, you left the poles outside.”

“The poles…?” Ava pondered aloud. A moment later, Beatrice slid the tent poles into their sleeving, erecting the tent properly. 

To her credit, Ava exited the tent and took a bow, fully aware that everyone was laughing at her. During her time in the tent prison, her sisters had transformed the plain clearing into a respectable campsite. Three tents were now fully set up, using the dense forest as a windbreak. Camila was trying to get a fire started while Mary and Lilith were bringing more supplies over from the car. 

As Lilith dropped off her supplies, she walked purposefully over to Camila’s non-existent fire. 

“Here, let me help you.” She offered, quietly. She grew out her claws and used them to flick several sizable sparks into Camila’s pile of kindling. 

“Thank you Sister!” Camila exclaimed, shifting the sticks around to accommodate the new flame. Lilith continued her task without another word, seeming embarrassed of her newfound abilities. 

Dusk settled quickly and everyone seemed to fall into an oddly familial rhythm. Mary had given herself the task of trying to prepare dinner with the odd assortment of food that Ava had packed for them. Camila sat in one of the tents, nose deep in a historical OCS text. 

Perched against one of the trees on the edge of the clearing, Lilith was writing in a small notebook. Unsurprisingly, Beatrice used their downtime to refine her fighting technique. Doubly unsurprising was Ava’s compulsion to flit between each sister and bother them endlessly. 

“Ava,” Beatrice began, after getting interrupted for the eighth time. “Maybe you could practice with me, instead of… Whatever it is you’re doing now.”

“Okay, but I’m pretty good, so get ready to have your ass kicked.” 

“ _ Language!”  _ Beatrice was quick to correct Ava’s potty mouth. 

Despite her jokes, Ava had mixed feelings about practicing her fighting skills.  _ Is it even worth it to practice? Adriel has been alive for…. Well, a lot longer than I have. What can I learn in the next few days that will prepare me? On the other hand… I have to do everything that I can to keep my family… Friends alive.  _

Despite her resolve, Ava was simply not a good fighter. Ava was sure that Beatrice was going easy on her, but the first five rounds were over in seconds. 

“Ava, focus!” Beatrice chastised her. “Block, block, and look for an opening.” She held out her hand to help Ava off the ground. 

“Yes, sensei.” Ava bowed, joking around to try and disguise her frustration. 

Beatrice’s attacks came at Ava quickly, as she desperately searched for an opening. After dodging several attacks, she found an opening, punching Beatrice in the side. 

“Ow, good hit!” Beatrice praised. Ava tried to stay focused, but somehow she seemed to end up on the ground anyhow. Thankfully, Ava was spared another defeat by Mary’s announcement of dinner. 

Lilith looked down at her bowl. “Mary… What is this?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mary’s words dripped with sarcasm. “The chef called in sick.”

“Thank you for cooking Mary, but I have to ask the same question.” Camila was more polite, but she too was confused at what she was looking at.

“It’s lentils with some scrambled egg mixed in. I know it looks gross, but it was either this or the absolute  _ pile  _ of children’s breakfast cereal that Ava packed.” 

“Cereal is good,” Ava defended, her mouth already full of Mary’s lentil surprise. “Oh, I could put some on this!” She got up to add some sugary cereal to her dinner. In Mary’s defense, dinner tasted a lot better than it looked. 

Lilith was the first to leave their dinner ‘table,’ heading back to the edge of the trees to work on her notebook. Beatrice noticed Ava’s eyes following Lilith as she left, but Ava’s expression was inscrutable. Camila helped Mary, Ava, and Beatrice clean up before she went back to her research. Beatrice joined her, to help translate some of the Latin passages. 

“Dibs on the solo tent!” Mary called, already halfway into one of their tents. No one argued with her and quiet snores were audible within minutes. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, so Ava crawled into the tent she had failed to set up earlier. She sat for a moment, looking at the blueish scar that crossed her ribcage. After several minutes of quiet reflection, she curled up to sleep. Ava would never admit it, but she still didn’t feel entirely up to strength after their first brush with Adriel. 

Ava wakes in the coffin, for a third time.  _ Alright, this is getting old.  _ This time, though, she kicks her way out and into the square in the Vatican - where they fought Adriel.  _ Something is different… This isn’t a memory.  _ And Ava was right, because this time, the horde of the possessed was tearing Mary apart. Literally. 

Rushing forward, Ava found that she was powerless to help. She was a ghost, unable to touch anything or have any effect. No one seemed to be able to see her, either. Ava began to hyperventilate as the battle seemed to move around her in both slow motion and double speed at the same time. 

She didn’t try to stop helping as she watched each of her sisters get killed by Adriel. Camila fought like a champion, firing bolt after bolt into Adriel’s body, but they had no effect. Ava felt a piece of her break inside when Adriel knocked her through a stone column. She didn’t get back up. 

In Ava’s panicked state, the edges of her vision began to creep in, until she almost couldn’t see Lilith and Beatrice fighting back to back. They were trying to keep the horde of the possessed away and working their way towards Adriel. In his hubris, Adriel released the crowd from his thrall.

Beatrice used this opening to throw a knife into each one of his eyes. She was on target, but Adriel seemed unaffected, as he pulled each blade out of his skull. Lilith took advantage of the opportunity to rush him, claws out. Ava ran forward as well, still under the illusion that she could help somehow. 

Unfortunately, this only served to give Ava a front row seat to Adriel’s cruel brutality. With barely a look, he thrust his fist through Lilith’s chest and then quickly withdrew it. Ava screamed as she dropped to the ground and the life faded from her eyes. 

Beatrice was now alone, with Adriel.  _ Please God no. Please, God please, if you’re real please.  _ The sheer violence and visceral experience had reduced Ava to pleading to a God she didn’t know if she even believed in. Her thoughts were jagged and out of sequence, she couldn’t seem to hold onto anything more than  _ please not her.  _

A scream rang through Ava’s mind and seemed to echo. Beatrice’s scream. Ava watched in horror as Adriel dispatched the last of her sisters, brutally but quickly. Beatrice was not a coward and she fought until her last moment. Despite her strength and skill, she was no match for Adriel, and he snapped her neck with a sick smile. Ava sank to her knees and wished for death.

Ava woke of her own volition moments later. Her hair stuck to her sweaty forehead and she had to keep her hands balled up into fists to keep her hands from shaking. 

“Ava…?” Of course, it was much later and Ava was no longer alone in her tent. 

“English accent, not immediately too mean or too nice? Hi Beatrice.” Ava deduced, still slightly out of breath but desperately trying to forget her nightmare. 

“Are you alright?” Beatrice wasn’t having any of Ava’s glib tonight. She reached out to take one of Ava’s hands in hers.

“Ava, you’re shaking like a leaf.” Beatrice whispered, her voice soaked with worry. “Here, come closer.” She added, scooching over to make more room for Ava.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” Ava apologised as she slid over into Beatrice’s thin, but strong, arms. 

“You don’t need to apologise, I wasn’t asleep yet anyways. What were you dreaming about?”

Ava sighed, not wanting to explain herself. “I… It was…” She stuttered, the shock of it was still so immediate. “We were back in the Vatican, but it was… different… it was wrong.” Beatrice didn’t say anything, but she tucked Ava’s sweaty strands of hair carefully behind her ears as she spoke.

“I wasn’t there. Or I was, but I couldn’t do anything. No one could see or hear me, I was like a ghost. Adriel killed all of you, brutally, right in front of me. There was nothing I could do, I...I…” Her words tumble out quickly and then seem to dry up. “It felt so real, I could smell the blood and see… I saw everything. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

Ava felt a hand on her cheek and a kiss on her forehead, so light, she could have almost imagined it. “Ava, I understand where this is coming from. I wish I could convince you that the others and I don’t think so little of you. You are so lighthearted and youthful with the group, but behind closed doors, you are shouldering this burden alone.” Beatrice’s words were honest and kind, and Ava could feel herself relaxing in her arms. 

Pressing her head into Beatrice’s chest, she continued explaining, “I can’t help but feel like this whole Adriel situation is my fault to begin with. Every night, I try to sleep and instead I am confronted with possibilities that could occur as a result of my actions….” Ava trailed off and then continued even quieter, “I don’t want you to die.” 

Hearing Ava’s words, as well as witnessing the visceral reaction she was having to the continued nightmares brought tears to Beatrice’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine what Ava was feeling right now, all she could do was be there. 

“I know that I can never fully understand what you’re feeling,” Beatrice’s voice was wavering uncharacteristically. “But I am here. Whatever you need, I’m here.”

Ava didn’t reply, but she pressed herself into Beatrice even more. Shortly after, Beatrice felt one of Ava’s legs gently wrap around her own. She laid there, motionless, and listened to Ava’s breaths as she fell back into a more peaceful sleep. Only once she was sure Ava was asleep, and then some, she whispered the words that had been rattling around her head for days. 

“I love you.”


	6. Camila in Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith and Beatrice both struggle to reconcile the implications of their vows alongside new developments. Albeit, for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time to contend with trauma

Ava woke up alone, feeling surprisingly rested. A moment after waking, she remembered her nightmare, as well as her conversation with Beatrice afterwards.  _ Well, more than a conversation,  _ Ava thought to herself with a smile. The emotional and physical contact between had been a salve for Ava’s troubled soul and she smiled as she remembered the intimacy of the moment between them. 

Getting out of the tent, Ava yawned and then grinned when she saw her fellow sisters eating the cereal she had packed.

“See, I bet you guys are happy that I brought all that cereal!”

“Not really, this is basically just sugar. I can’t believe people eat this for breakfast.” Lilith was less than pleased with the cereal situation and had spent her morning picking out all of the mini marshmallows from her ‘breakfast.’

“I have to agree with Lilith,” Mary added, as Ava poured her own bowl of cereal. “You didn’t even bring any milk!”

“The milk makes it gross and soggy,” Ava argued as she added all of Lilith’s unwanted marshmallows to her own bowl. 

Beatrice gave Ava a shy smile as she sat down with her cereal. Thankfully, Ava returned the favour. After a few minutes of quiet crunching, Beatrice announced her plans for the day. 

“Mary and I are going to a town nearby to pick up some…” She lifted her spoon and let the dry cereal pour back into the bowl. “... Healthier and less disgusting food. I’d also like to pick up a newspaper or two, maybe they could give us a clue to where Adriel is.” 

“Lilith, don’t kill Ava while we’re gone. Ava, don’t do anything stupid.” Mary gave them both pointed looks. “Camila, you’re in charge, okay?” Camila agreed with a nod and a lighthearted laugh. Lilith rolled her eyes. 

It was only natural that Ava and Lilith would end up sparring within minutes. To be fair, Lilith had been trying to train on her own, but Ava was just so annoying. 

“Okay Ava, I’m going to try and hit you, and you’re going to try and stop me. Got it?” 

“Be careful, please!” Camila called, without taking her eyes off the passage she was reading. 

Ava braced herself as Lilith rushed forward, claws out. She phased through Lilith’s immediate attacks, but couldn’t seem to get in a strike of her own. 

“You’re.. Definitely faster than I remember you being…” Ava panted, hands on her knees after several minutes of attempting to land a hit. 

“Yes…” Lilith looked down to hide her facial expression, then she looked back up. “Adriel is too, so maybe this is the best practice you can get.”  _ Well,  _ Ava thought as she readied herself for another round,  _ it’s certainly hard to argue with that logic.  _

Meanwhile, Beatrice sat in the passenger seat while Mary drove carefully on the overgrown dirt roads. Despite her constant desire to keep her emotions private, she knew Mary had the answer to a question that had been haunting her for a while. Still, asking didn’t exactly come naturally, either. 

“So…” Beatrice began, feeling her cheeks already reddening. 

“Yes?” Mary asked expectantly, without taking her eyes off the road.

“When we escaped from Adriel, when we were at Shannon’s house, you mentioned something… I wanted to ask you about… If that’s okay…” Beatrice didn’t usually stutter, but this was not an everyday, casual conversation. 

“You want to know how she reconciled her vows with our relationship?” Mary still didn’t take her eyes off the road. “... For your relationship with Ava.” 

Beatrice was stunned. “My… Relationship? I wouldn’t call it that…” 

Mary shot her a look, “Do you think I was born yesterday?”

Beatrice was silent for several minutes, processing the reality that  _ everyone  _ knew how she felt. 

Finally, she asked, “Does everyone know? Is it obvious?” Her voice shook slightly and her voice trembled. 

“I don’t think it's obvious…” Mary seemed to be winding up for a letdown. “But, I’m pretty sure everyone knows. That’s not your fault, but it’s not like we have a lot of privacy these days. Everyone knows everything about everyone else, it’s just that most of us are too polite to say anything.” Beatrice knew that was a reference to Ava’s tactless questioning of Lilith’s new abilities.

A single tear ran down Mary’s cheek as she drove. “Shannon never coped with it well. She was so happy when we were together, but afterwards, the guilt seemed unbearable sometimes. It kills me to think about what could’ve been if things had been different… Or if we had more time.” Beatrice looked out the window, understanding the former halo bearer more fully. 

“You guys, well, you’re not exactly stereotypical nuns, are you?” Mary continued, quietly but with passion. “We’ve all fought and killed, those are sins. Sometimes, I think the internalised issues that Shannon had ran deeper than her vows… I guess I’ll never know for sure, though.” Beatrice looked over at her friend, but didn’t reply, sensing that Mary wasn’t finished.

“I obviously don’t have an easy answer or things between Shannon and I would have been easier. I also don’t know all the details of your  _ not relationship  _ with Ava. But I know that what you two have is real, whether or not you’re ready to admit that to yourself. You guys make each other stronger, so I don’t think a relationship between the two of you would be detrimental… If that is what you’re worried about.”

“Thank you Mary. I appreciate your insight and candor.” Beatrice was polite, but her mind was already a million miles away. Mary was right, it wasn’t just her vows. With a wince, she remembered the countless arguments with her parents - their admonishments for something she had no choice about. Beatrice recalled the constant practice, study, and refinement of skills that consumed her childhood. No achievement, however impressive, ever seemed to make up for her  _ obvious lack of moral character.  _ Even after years, the words of her father still stung. 

“HA!” Ava shouted as she finally landed a hit on Lilith, splitting the bridge of her nose. 

“I’ll give you that one, that was good.” Lilith stood back up, her nose already healing quickly. 

“Wait, you can heal too?” Ava was incredulous. 

Reaching up to her nose, Lilith commented. “Yeah, it appears so. I did once before, when I first met you guys at ArqTech.”

“Well, now I don’t feel so bad about hitting you.” Ava laughed and took another swing. She missed. 

As the afternoon wore on, Lilith seemed to be getting a better handle on her powers. With some practice, she could teleport around Ava’s punches and kicks with ease. Lilith wasn’t the only one improving though, as Ava phased through most of Lilith's attacks. Camila watched them fight with interest, although she kept a safe distance. 

Lilith’s head rang louder and louder as she fought with Ava, but she wouldn’t get the smaller girl the satisfaction of winning. Moments later, however, the pain became unbearable, and she was forced to take a knee.

“Ava…” Lilith began, intending to ask her if they could take a break. What happened instead was… not that. 

As Ava bent down to ask if she was alright, Lilith’s powers became unstable, generating a concussive shockwave. A shallow crater was cut into the earth, stretching two metres in each direction, with Lilith in the epicenter. Ava was thrown into the outskirts of the forest, stopped from flying further via collision with a solid oak. She didn’t immediately get back up. Camila looked through the cloud of dirt at Lilith, with an expression of both surprise and fear. 

Standing back up, Lilith met Camila’s stare for a moment, before teleporting somewhere out of sight. 

“Ava?!” Camila yelled, while running towards her. Thankfully, the halo had enough power to heal Ava’s injuries quickly, which Camila noted when she got closer. 

“Is Lilith okay?” Ava asked. Fresh blood stains, from already healed wounds, covered her clothes.

“I don’t know…” Camila trailed off, catching a hint of motion out of the corner of her eye. “Can you stay here, just in case Beatrice and Mary come back? I don’t want them to think we were attacked by Adriel.”

“Of course… And good luck.” Ava nodded knowingly to Camila as she walked deeper into the forest. 

Heading uphill, Camila quickly found Lilith. There was a cliffy outlook at the top of the hill, where Lilith sat quietly, back to Camila. She got closer, carefully and cautiously. 

“I can hear you.” Lilith noted, without turning around. Camila gave up her stealthy approach and strode quickly to join her sister. 

“Are you okay?” Camila asked, gently. Lilith didn’t meet Camila’s eyes, instead she focused on the view - which was, in her defense, remarkably beautiful. 

“I’m sorry,” Lilith whispered, after several moments of silence. “Ava must be angry with me.”

“She’s not,” Camila assured her, putting her hand on Lilith’s shoulder. “She is worried, though. As am I.”

“I’m scared. Of what I can do… Of what I am now…” Lilith slowly began to explain the emotions she had been contending with alone. “Every time I close my eyes, I see the things I saw…  _ there.  _ It’s hard to eat, it’s even harder to sleep.” She sobbed suddenly, breaking her icy exterior. 

“Sister… You were touched by the darkness.. By hell. That part of the story is undeniable. I know that I can’t understand how you feel right now and I don’t know what it was like in… Hell.” Camila chokes on the last word but continues. “What I do know is that you are powerful. Even before… You have always been powerful.” Tears ran down Lilith and Camila’s face alike as they sat and spoke. 

“Lilith… You have a choice.” Camila continued, motivated to help Lilith as best as she was able. “It won’t be easy, not by a long shot, but you can still fight by our side. Think about how much help Ava still needs learning how to fight, use the halo… Or even just set up a tent. There is no reason we can’t help you control this, too. I am sure that God gave you a second chance for a reason and I can’t help but think it was to fight alongside your family.”

Camila finished her speech and attempted to hug Lilith. To Camila’s surprise, Lilith didn’t push her away this time. 

“Thank you, Sister Camila.” Lilith thanked her, with a rare and genuine smile. 


	7. Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions are resolved and a plan finally emerges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw away the couches, we can't let people know we SIT!!!!! (If you know this reference, I love you).

Beatrice and Mary were more than a little concerned upon their return. Camila had talked Lilith into coming and resting, which she was now doing. With a few open books around her, Camila stayed close to Lilith, as a bastion of both kindness and support. Conversely, Ava sat against a tree on the edge of the clearing. Her face was shadowed as she made scratch marks in the dirt with a small stick. 

After exchanging a confused glance, Mary headed over to ask Camila what happened. Beatrice, however, walked the other direction towards Ava. 

“Ava?” Beatrice tried to get her attention as she got closer, eventually joining Ava on the ground. “What happened here?” Beatrice asked, gesturing to the crater in the clearing. Ava paused for a moment and continued to look down while she spoke. 

“We were practicing… So I can be ready to fight Adriel…” Ava continued to scratch at the dirt nervously. “It was my fault, I should have known something was wrong I…”

“Ava… What actually happened?” Beatrice gently grabbed Ava’s shirt, as she spoke, noticing the new bloodstains.”

“I’m not sure, exactly. I guess… I don’t know, you know I’m not smart like Camila or you… She must have pushed herself too far… She became unstable. It was like a bomb went off.”

“How is that your fault?” Beatrice asked, quietly. 

Ava snapped her stick in half, throwing it angrily to the side. “If I was less of a fuck up, Lilith wouldn’t have been taken by the Tarask in the first place!” Her hands shook and crushed them between her knees. “It was me she was fighting with, too. If I had just realised…” Ava took a deep breath and stopped speaking.

Wordlessly, Beatrice took one of Ava’s hands and held it until it stopped shaking. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you, Beatrice. I hope Lilith isn’t too mad at me. I hope you aren’t either.” 

“I’m not angry with you, Ava. I’m sure Lilith isn’t either.” Beatrice looked over her shoulder, at the rest of her sisters. “Why don’t we go rejoin the group and discuss this all together?” 

Still hand in hand, Beatrice and Ava joined Camila, Mary, and Lilith in the center of the clearing. Despite the gravity of the situation, Camila couldn’t help but smile when she saw Beatrice holding Ava’s hand. Lilith spoke first. 

“Ava, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  _ Hurt me? I didn’t mean to hurt you! This is all my fault! _

“Lilith, you have nothing to apologise for.” Ava was acting incredibly mature and Beatrice squeezed her hand to encourage her to keep talking. “It was my fault, so I’m sorry. Hopefully, you’re alright and double hopefully, you can forgive me.

“I can.” Lilith’s reply was simple, but Ava felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. 

“Okay!” Camila called, “Now hug and make up!” Ava and Lilith exchanged a look, and then an incredibly quick and awkward hug. 

“Alright, now that this is settled, can we eat?” Mary asked, although she didn’t wait for an answer. 

As Mary cooked a non-cereal dinner over the fire, Camila continued reading her archival records. Lilith sat next to her, writing in her notebook. 

“Beatrice?” Camila asked, suddenly. “Can you read Russian?” 

“Yes, although not well,” Beatrice replied, walking over to help Camila translate the passage. Ava stared at them both, admiring their intelligence. 

After dinner, Camila made a discovery that Ava hoped she wouldn’t.

“That’s it!” Camila shouted, “I found something!” Everyone was quick to gather around her. “According to several entries, some Warrior Nuns had the ability to use the halo to track dark energies in our realm. There is an entry from 1596, though, that says Warrior Nuns can only do this with forces that they have had personal contact with.” 

“But Ava has made contact with Adriel, so isn’t it just a matter of seeing if she has the tracking ability?” Beatrice asked, holding several sheets of translations in her hand. 

“Yes, but no. There is one other complication…” Camila trailed off, avoiding looking at Ava.

“What’s the issue?” Lilith raised the question, although everyone was thinking it. 

“There is a risk that Adriel will be able to tell Ava is tracking him…”

No one spoke, but Ava felt eyes on her as she stared at the ground. Eventually, Beatrice broke the silence. 

“Camila, what  _ specifically  _ are the risks here?” 

“Some of the accounts are incomplete, but several mention that it can create a bond between the halo bearer and the entity. Side effects,  _ if  _ a bond occurs, can vary a lot. Most commonly, halo bearers of the past reported being able to read the minds of the dark entities they were tracking…And vice versa.”

“Adriel already can read my mind.” Ava felt like a failure and refused to look away from the ground. 

“Wait, what?!” Mary sounded angry with her. “When were you going to mention that?!” 

“I’m sorry,” Ava apologised, then addressed Camila. “Do any of the entries mention  _ how  _ to do this?”

“Well… No. I’m sorry Ava.” Camila frowned. 

_ I don’t have any choice but to try, right? Do I want to do this? No, not really. But I have to. This could save countless lives, including my friends. Besides, I shouldn’t get too nervous, I might not even be able to do it. _

Ava set her jaw and her resolve. “Alright, I’m in. I’ll try my best to use the halo, but as you all know, I’m not exactly gifted at this.”

“Ava, you don’t have to-” Camila began, but Ava walked away for a few minutes of silence before she attempted to track Adriel. 

A hand found her shoulder a few minutes later and Ava knew who it was before she heard the accent.    
“Ava…”

“Don’t try to tell me this is a bad idea, my mind is made up. I’m sick of endangering everyone else, I need to step up and be more of a leader.”

“I’m not trying to say that…” Beatrice’s face fell. “I’m just worried about you. This is dangerous, I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

“According to what Camila said, I don’t think it’s physically dangerous…” Ava was cold, but Beatrice didn’t think it was personal. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt… In here.” Beatrice gently tapped the side of Ava’s head. Despite Beatrice’s belief in Ava’s strength, the mental toll everything had taken on her was undeniable. 

“Beatrice…” Ava’s face felt like it was on fire where Beatrice had touched it. She didn’t know whether it was her constant nightmares of death spurring her forward, or something else, but Ava felt as though she could no longer hide her feelings. 

Ava stepped closer, taking Beatrice’s face in her hands, the way Beatrice always does to her. Gently, Ava tucks a stray strand of hair behind Beatrice’s ear, before sliding that hand behind her neck. With an uncharacteristic amount of grace, Ava brought her lips to Beatrice’s, each of them confirming to the other that they felt the same way. 


	8. The Ties that Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava manages to track Adriel, although not without consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one:  
> absolutely no one:  
> literally, totally, completely no one:   
> me: you should watch warrior nun

Ava sat cross legged in the clearing, trying to consciously activate the halo’s power. Her sisters watched from afar, silently.  _ Okay, focus. I know you don’t want to think about Adriel, but you have to. Hone in on him, come on. Failure isn’t an option, not if you want to save lives anyhow.  _ Ava knew her internal monologue must be having some effect, because she felt the halo warming up in her back. Had she been outside herself, she would have seen it glowing as well. 

Father Vincent was chatting with an attractive young woman in a bar. Ava barely recognised him at first, because he was wearing civilian clothes. Once she laid her eyes on him, though, he was unmistakable. In horror, she watched as he led her away, out the back door and into the alleyway. 

As Ava followed, she heard the unmistakable scream of wraith demons. Looking up, she confirmed her suspicions, as dozens of them streaked across the sky.  _ Well, I’m definitely in the right place. Wherever that is.  _ Ava tried to focus and take in her surroundings.  _ Okay, people are speaking Spanish. Hopefully, we are still in Spain, because anywhere else would be a journey and a half.  _

The narrow alleyway that Ava followed Father Vincent along opened up into a dreary, dark courtyard.  _ Nothing good ever happens in the back alley.  _ In Ava’s short experience in the real world, this was true. Looking upwards, she saw more wraith demons than she ever saw at once, circling overhead.

Without warning, one of the back doors in the alley was kicked open, revealing Adriel. He too was wearing civilian clothes, and looked almost pedestrian… If you could see past the crazy in his eyes. A scream, from the woman Father Vincent had brought, echoed through the alley. It seemed, however, that no one would be coming to her rescue. 

Adriel strode forward, until he was within striking distance of the woman. Ava thought he was just going to possess her; she was wrong. As Adriel came towards her, unsurprisingly, the woman tried to run back down the alley. Father Vincent had expected this and restrained her quickly and calmly. 

“Thank you, Vincent.” Adriel nodded, as he grabbed the woman’s head in one of his hands. 

“Of course, Master.” Ava cringed as he said this, disgusted by the trust she had once placed in this man. 

Another one of the woman’s screams cut through the air, except this one was far more urgent than the last. Ava had a searing desire to turn away, but she needed to know what Adriel was doing, so she forced herself to look. She wished she hadn’t. 

There were almost no words that Ava could think of to describe what Adriel was doing. With a single hand wrapped around the woman’s head, he seemed to be squeezing the life and soul from her body. Small, white wisps left the woman’s mouth as Adriel continued to squeeze. He seemed to be drawing power from it. 

As he continued, the woman grew weaker and more hollow looking. Eventually, she crumbled to the ground and her corpse was a mere shadow of the woman she once was. Adriel shook his head in delight and he seemed to be glowly slightly in the darkness.  _ This was not good. Well, that’s an understatement.  _

“Do you want to kill another one tonight, Master?” Again, Ava was disgusted with Father Vincent’s subservience to Adriel. 

“Yes. We have several hours of night left and there are plenty of people who won’t be missed here in Madrid.” They both turned away from Ava to leave the alley in a different direction. 

_ Madrid! That’s not that far! Okay, I have a location, now I can get the fuck out of here.  _ Ava took a deep breath, then realised something.  _ How do I get out of here?  _

“Wait…” Adriel stopped, turning back in Ava’s direction. “We have a visitor. Reveal yourself.” He pointed a finger in Ava’s direction and she felt a pain like no other rip through her entire body. A third scream echoed against the cobblestone buildings in the courtyard. This time, however, it was Ava’s. 

In the split second that she closed her eyes and dropped to her knees, Adriel closed the distance between them. He was so close to her that Ava could see her own reflection in his eyes. 

“Hello again.” Adriel whispered, perfectly polite, but in the creepiest way possible. Ava closed her eyes and tried to focus with the pain Adriel’s presence was causing her.  _ Please Halo, if you care about me at all, let me leave this place…  _ Ava felt as though her blood had been replaced with razor blades, until the floor seemed to drop out from under her. Everything went dark. 

Beatrice sat against the van, watching Ava with an unmatched intensity. She must be succeeding at tracking Adriel with the halo, because she would never voluntarily sit still for this long. Still, Beatrice was worried beyond belief, especially since they hadn’t talked about what happened in the woods yet. 

After several minutes of silence, Camila joined her. “You love her, don’t you.” Beatrice sighed, and leaned back, closing her eyes. 

“Yes.” Beatrice considered not answering, but at this point, she figured it was obvious. Camila was exceedingly observant, anyhow. 

“That’s beautiful. The bond you two share is special.” Camila said, earning her a look of surprise from Beatrice. It was certainly not what she expected Camila to say. 

“I’d love more time to just… Talk to her. Spend time together. The last few weeks have just felt like… We are constantly rushing off to die.” 

“I know how you feel. I’m sorry, I pray for better for you, for all of us, daily. It seems like God isn’t ready to answer that prayer yet.” Camila’s altruism made Beatrice smile. 

After a short lull, Camila continued talking. “Honestly though, I think Ava may actually be the answer to my prayers. I really think she can do it.” 

“You should tell her that.” Beatrice commented, watching Ava’s still form and glowing halo. “I know she seems confident - borderline flippant - but she has a lot on her shoulders. I’ve only seen that side of her in glimpses, but she blames herself for everything that’s gone wrong. Plus, she thinks the halo chose her by mistake.”

“I was wondering if there was more there,” Camila pondered. “I hate that Ava feels that way, but it must mean something that she chose to share her insecurities with you.”

“I have thought that. More than once.” Beatrice remembered each moment where she glimpsed the turmoil that Ava normally hid below the surface. 

Beatrice continued, “She was terrified to try this,” she gestured towards Ava’s still, glowing form. “But she felt as though she had to, to be a good leader. I agree that this is our best shot at finding Adriel, I just didn’t want her to get hurt. I told her that and she…” Beatrice trailed off. 

“She what?!” Camila asked, desperately curious and concerned. 

“She… Kissed me.” Beatrice whispered the last part, obviously not quietly enough though. 

“About fucking time!” Mary called, from several metres away. 

“ _ Language! _ ” Lilith scolded her. 

The teasing was cut short, however, as Ava’s scream pierced through the otherwise peaceful clearing. Beatrice ran forward, feeling as though her insides had been scooped out and replaced with sawdust. Ava levitated off of the ground, the power of the halo propelling her upwards. Just as suddenly, it seemed as though a string was cut, and she fell back to the ground. 

Beatrice was there first, but the other sisters were close behind. She held Ava’s head off the ground, losing her composure.

“Ava!” Beatrice cried, tears fully running down her face. Lilith reached around Beatrice, taking Ava’s pulse. 

“She’s alive.” Lilith didn’t mince words, and on this occasion, Beatrice was thankful for that. 

“This isn’t a good sign. She must have bonded with Adriel.” Camila said hoarsely, kneeling next to Beatrice. 

“What should we do?” Beatrice still had a few tears running down her cheeks. 

“What can we do?” Mary asked. “Take care of her and hope that she can tell us where Adriel is.” Beatrice resented the flippant way Mary said this, but ultimately, she was right.

“...Madrid.” Ava’s voice was almost inaudible, but they all heard her. “Father Vincent… Helping… Killing civilians… Making him stronger…” Ava choked out a sentence, although she couldn’t even open her eyes. “We need… To go now…” 

“With all due respect, absolutely not.” Mary was not about to let Ava fling herself into another dangerous situation. At least, not immediately. 

“We need you at full strength, emotionally and physically, Ava.” Camila added. Their words fell on deaf ears, though, as Ava had fully blacked out. 

“Lilith, can you help me carry her back to the tent?” Beatrice asked, trying to disguise the worry in her voice. 

Beatrice crawled into the tent a few hours later, after making preparations with the others for their morning departure. 

“...Beatrice?” Ava whispered.

“Yes, I’m here.” Getting to curl up next to Ava made Beatrice feel as though she was floating, despite an impossibly long and stressful day. 

“I know you probably want to hear about.... You know…” Ava paused, took a deep breath, and then continued. “I’m not… I can’t talk about it yet…” She shook slightly in Beatrice’s arms. 

“You don’t have to talk about anything, just rest.” Ava had a way of making Beatrice feel incredibly calm and on fire - often at the same time. 

“There is… Something I want to talk about.” Ava’s voice was tired, but Beatrice swore she could hear the smile on her face. 

“Which is…?” Beatrice couldn’t help but smile too. 

“We kissed… On the mouth.” 

“I know, I was there.” Beatrice laughed, Ava was almost drunk in her tiredness. Still, she managed to surprise Beatrice with her next question.

“Do you… Regret it?” Beatrice felt a pain in her heart, how could Ava even ask that? 

She didn’t reply right away, nor did she reply verbally. Rather, Beatrice kissed Ava back, gently at first, and then with an increased intensity. Ava pulled away first, pressing herself into Beatrice like she did the night before. 

“I love… You…” Ava whispered as she tiredly wrapped her arm around Beatrice’s torso. 

“I love you, too.” Beatrice felt as though a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Hearing Ava say it, getting to say it back… She was glad that it was dark because she was smiling like a fool. As Ava fell asleep quickly, Beatrice cherished the feeling of their bodies pressed together. Not for long, though, as she fell asleep pretty quickly, too. 


	9. Just Dropping In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava has to face her fears and fight Adriel, although other tensions form in the meantime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally i don't even know

Camila drove towards Madrid the next morning. Ava sat in the middle of the van, explaining to her sisters what had happened last night. Everyone was gathered around as well as they could be, while still staying in their seats and wearing their seatbelts. 

“Father Vincent was combing bars and clubs, looking for people who were out alone. They didn’t want to draw any suspicions, I guess…” Ava trailed off, until she felt a strong and comforting pressure on her shoulder.  _ Beatrice.  _ “When I…  _ got there,  _ whatever that means, he had just found someone. A woman. I don’t know exactly what he said to her, but she followed him into the back alley.” 

No one spoke, so Ava continued. “Adriel was waiting behind the bar, OH, and there were a lot of wraith demons. Like, hundreds. Circling overhead. The wailing noise they were making was nearly unbearable…” She swallowed, before trying to explain. “I don’t know what Adriel was doing, not exactly. I mean, I know he was killing them, but it was more than that. It seemed slow, excruciating…” 

Beatrice squeezed Ava’s shoulder harder, realising that it was hard for her to recount what happened. After a few deep breaths, Ava finally continued. “It was like Adriel was removing her soul. I don’t know if that’s possible, but that’s what it seemed like. It made him stronger afterwards, too. Or at least, that’s what it seems like, because that’s when he saw me.”

“He  _ saw  _ you?” Camila asked, with panic in her voice.

“Um…” Ava paused, “Yes.”

“This is not good.” Mary noted, correctly. 

“I’m sorry…” Ava apologised, looking down. 

“Ava, don’t apologise. You are the only reason we know where Adriel is.” Camila told her, with kindness. “Do you think you could use the halo to locate Adriel once we are in the city?” 

“I… Yes, probably.” Ava answered, tentatively. 

“Is anyone else worried that we may be walking into a trap?” Lilith asked, verbalising the thoughts of everyone. 

“Do we have a choice?” Beatrice responded, her face unreadable. No one spoke after that. 

After a few hours of driving and some halo navigation, Ava and her sisters found themselves at a massive warehouse on the outskirts of the city. There wasn’t a person in sight. Everyone except Ava gathered around the van, choosing weapons from the pile that Lilith had packed. Ava, however, stood still, looking at the huge warehouse. 

_ He must know we are here. How can we survive this? Remember Ava, whatever it takes to keep your family alive, that’s what you have to do. Plus side, there isn’t anyone around to possess. It’s a small plus side, but hey, gotta be grateful for what you have, right? _

Ava’s thoughts were interrupted by Beatrice. “Here.” She whispered, handing Ava the Divinium sword. “Are you ready?”

“I have to be.” Ava took a deep breath and led her sisters to the door. 

The fight spread across the dirty warehouse quickly. Adriel had been ready for them, unsurprisingly, and there was a horde of possessed in the entryway. 

“Ava!” Mary yelled, firing shotgun shells into the horde. “Go after Adriel, we got this!” Ava did as she was told. 

Phasing through walls and running through rooms, the halo seemed to be guiding her to Adriel of it’s own volition. Within a minute, she found him, on the rickety, metal catwalk that spanned the across the entire warehouse building. Ava could see her friends fighting their way through the horde of the possessed several stories below her. She was pleased to see they were winning. 

“Ava…” Adriel began, drawing her attention back towards him. She chastised herself for letting herself be distracted. “Don’t be angry with yourself, you are going to die whether or not you are distracted.”

“You’re creepy as fuck!” Ava shouted, as Adriel responded to her thoughts. She took several swings at him, forcing Adriel to take a few steps backwards.  _ Is it a one-way street? Or can I read his mind, too? _

“You might be able to.” Adriel was answering her thoughts again, “If you were better at this.”

“Okay,” Ava shouted, angrily. “I’m done talking.” She made her move forward, desperately trying to remember all that she had learned about fighting. 

On the edges of her mind, Ava could actually feel Adriel. His presence seared through her mind as they traded blows on the catwalk. To her surprise, Ava was holding her own, although not exactly winning. She was able to repel Adriel’s attacks, but not land any of her own. 

When fighting, the devil is in the details. A single moment of distraction can derail an attack, as was the case for Ava. She lunged for an attack on Adriel, while also analysing the attacks that she had made prior. Thus, she didn’t notice Adriel reaching for her.

Ava screamed as he grabbed her arm, pulling her close. She didn’t know why, but Adriel’s hand felt as though it was melting through her skin.  _ Push back.  _ The idea came to her in a moment of desperation, maybe planted by the halo, but Ava didn’t need any more encouragement. She closed her eyes and attempted to not only push Adriel out of her mind, but push into his. 

Whatever she did, it worked. Adriel released his grip on her, grabbing his head. Not wasting a moment, Ava ran her sword through his stomach, and then pulled it out. No blood ran from the wound, but Adriel doubled over in pain. Ava stood above him, ready to strike again.

Adriel created a bomb-like blast as he teleported away, destroying the catwalk. Ava dropped three stories onto the concrete floor of the warehouse below. The blast was so powerful that Ava cracked and dented the concrete as she smashed into it. 

Beatrice tried to focus on fighting the possessed, although part of her mind was worried about Ava fighting Adriel. In Beatrice’s case, however, she could afford to be slightly distracted, because she was a fantastic fighter regardless. As they fought through the possessed horde, the sisters spread across the open warehouse floor. 

Shotgun blasts echoed through the building, as Mary blasted her way through the back rooms in the warehouse. On occasion, pieces of wall were blown out, giving Beatrice quick glimpses of Mary’s progress. 

Camila’s crossbow was decidedly quieter, but no less effective. She kept the possessed away from herself and provided fire support to her other sisters. Each of them was saved from a hit or two, thanks to Camila’s skill. Despite her success in battle, Camila’s face looked downright miserable. 

“Adriel condemned these people to death, not you!” Beatrice called to her, hoping to ease her conscience, at least slightly. Camila was the kindest of all of them and Beatrice didn’t want her the violence here to mar that. In her distraction, however, one of the possessed managed to get too close.

“Ow,” Beatrice whispered, as her face slammed into the ground and blood spurted from her nose. She managed to twist around, stabbing whoever had jumped her. As Beatrice got up, she threw two more knives, both of which found their targets. 

Lilith fought her way through the entire warehouse, teleporting around and slashing through anyone who stood in her way. Her grey hair framed her tan face and she sped around, making her look wild and powerful. Beatrice admired her power and ability from afar. Lilith had always been a talented fighter, but now she was on another level. 

When Adriel disappeared, the remaining possessed people were removed from his thrall. Unfortunately, the stress of the possession on their bodies caused most of them to die anyhow. The surviving few were quick to vacate the area. A split second later, Beatrice saw Ava crash into the concrete. 

“Ava…?” Beatrice hated how small her voice sounded as she ran forward. Camila and Lilith were there quickly, and Ava opened her eyes. 

“Hi, sorry to  _ drop in. _ ” Ava coughed, slowly removing herself from the dented concrete. 

“What happened!?” Camila and Beatrice asked simultaneously.

“I…” The smile fell from her face, short lived. “I don’t think he’s dead. I ran my sword all the way through him - he didn’t even bleed… Then he just… Vanished, like Lilith can. I’m sorry.”

“You did well, Ava.” Lilith rarely complimented Ava; suffice to say everyone was surprised by this.

“Where’s Mary?” Camila asked, suddenly. A bang from the back room seemed to answer their question. 

A moment later, Mary busted through the doorway, dragging someone behind her.

“Not to toot my own horn, but I may have found someone who can help us.” It was Father Vincent.

As Lilith and Camila began gathering supplies to restrain him, Beatrice stayed behind for a moment to talk to Ava. 

“What happened up there?” Beatrice inquired, gesturing up towards the catwalk. 

“I was… He was…” Ava stuttered. “He was in my head, I could feel him in there, it was like… Burning in my skull. I thought that if I could… I don’t know, push back, it would give me some sort of advantage.” 

“Did it?” Beatrice was genuinely curious.

“Yeah, it was the only way I could get a meaningful attack in.” Ava still looked defeated though and she felt as though she had failed. Beatrice hugged her, suddenly, and strongly. 

“Your face… Are you okay?” Ava whispered, while they were still holding one another.

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you, you just fell three stories, you  _ cracked  _ the concrete.” Ava broke their embrace and looked down. 

“Ha, I guess I did. It was a smashing good time.” Ava laughed and turned to walk towards the back room to help the others. 

Beatrice reached out, grabbing Ava’s hand. “Wait, what is this?”

“What is… what?” Ava asked, turning back to face Beatrice. There was a wound on Ava’s arm where Adriel had grabbed her, with the same Divinium bruising as her last Adriel inflicted injury. It hadn’t healed, either, like the rest of Ava’s injuries du jour. 

“Ava, this is not a normal wound…” Beatrice’s face dropped with worry.

Instead of answering Beatrice, Ava wheeled around, grabbing a linen shirt from one of the dead, formerly possessed bodies. She threw it on over her t-shirt, a clear indication that she was done talking about this, at least for now. Without another word, she headed back to see what Father Vincent had to say. 

Beatrice felt tears sting her eyes as she watched Ava walk away, confused and hurt. 


	10. All in Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava deals with the side effects from her brush with Adriel and Mary discovers useful information from their former mentor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet

Mary and Lilith roped Father Vincent to a chair while he was still unconscious. The back room of the warehouse must have been a break room, so there were plenty of chairs to go around. Despite that, Beatrice couldn’t help but notice that Ava sat as far from her as possible, her face unreadable. 

“Guys..” Mary began, turning around. “Do you mind if I take this one?” While she asked, she pulled a large bowie knife from her boot. 

“Mary, are you going to…” Camila asked, in disbelief. She didn’t need to finish her sentence for everyone to know what she meant. 

“Do you have a better idea? He _killed_ Shannon.” Her face crumbled, for a moment, before she composed herself and continued. “He might be the only person who can help us, so yeah, I am going to do whatever it takes.” 

“I agree with you.” Lilith stated, standing at the back of the room. “For Shannon. And, for all those who Adriel has killed. For those that will die if we don’t do anything.”

Mary nodded at her, before continuing. “Can I have a few minutes alone? I would like some privacy with the Father here.” 

“Of course,” Camila agreed, getting up. “Lilith, will you come help me pack up the weapons?” Lilith nodded, and followed her out of the room. Ava got up shortly after, without a word to anyone. Beatrice watched her leave, but followed shortly after, leaving Mary alone with their former mentor. 

Back on the main warehouse floor, Ava was confronted with her nightmares, as the acrid smell of death flooded her nostrils. This time, however, it wasn’t a dream. _It’s real this time. Not only is it real, it’s also your fault._ She thought, breath catching in her throat. Overwhelmed, she took the shortest route out of the room, out a side door. Beatrice walked out of the back just in time to hear the slam of the side door.

Crouched low to the ground, in the field outside, Ava wrapped her arms around herself, hyperventilating. _I failed, again._ She could still feel the effects of Adriel inside her brain and it felt both painful and violating. _I couldn’t kill him, again. All those people in there, and who knows how many more, are dead because of me._

Just as Beatrice opened the side door, Ava started to cry. Not an aesthetic single tear though, rather, she cried with sobs that shook her entire body. It was a painful way to cry, but Ava couldn’t stop it anymore nor hold it in. 

Beatrice stood silently at the door for a moment, unsure of what to do. She had come out here angry, to chastise Ava, but the anger had evaporated in moments. Ava obviously hadn’t realised she was standing there, either, making her even more unsure of what to do. After several agonising moments, Beatrice broke the silence.

“Ava…?” She whispered, taking a few steps closer. No response. “Ava…?” Beatrice said, a little louder this time. Still, Ava didn’t acknowledge her. Unable to bear seeing her _friend_ like this, Beatrice sat on the ground next to her, and held her while she cried. Seeing Ava this broken and feeling each sob shake through her body brought tears to Beatrice’s eyes, too. 

“I’m sorry…” Ava whispered, once she was finally able to get a breath of air back in. “I’m sorry…”

“Hey, what did I say about all the apologies?”

“I was rude to you earlier, that actually… Merits an apology.” Ava paused, still crying, albeit less so. “All of those people, and more, are dead because of me…”

“I told Camila this earlier and I’ll tell you the same thing now. We may have struck the final blow, but Adriel condemned those people to die, not you, not us.” Beatrice hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt. 

Ava pushed herself away from Beatrice and stood up, suddenly. “Don’t you see? If I hadn’t had the _fucking idiotic_ plan of destroying his bones, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. If I had joined you guys earlier, instead of running away, Lilith wouldn’t be so fucked up now.” Ava paced angrily, as Beatrice watched in worried horror, silently. 

“You all would have been better off if someone else - _literally anyone else_ \- was the halo bearer.” Ava dropped to her knees unexpectedly. “God!” She shouted, clutching her head, “I can still feel him in my fucking head!” Beatrice grabbed Ava’s face in her hands, gently but firmly, forcing the halo bearer to look at her. 

“Ava, listen to me. You need to calm down. Talk to me, talk to us. You can’t shoulder this alone.” Ava knew Beatrice was right, but it was hard for her to calm down. She took several shaky breaths, until they eventually started smoothing out. 

Pulling herself back into a normal sitting position, Ava sat next to Beatrice and rested her head on Beatrice’s shoulder. The view across the field outside the warehouse was nothing special, just a field of overgrown grass. Something about the afternoon light, or the right company, made it seem special and golden. 

“I’m sorry for freaking out. I just… I don’t know. I’m overwhelmed, I feel like a failure.” Ava was no longer crying, but she was still having trouble stringing together a full sentence. “I’m bad at fighting, I don’t want you guys to get hurt… Or die. I feel like a liability.”

“Normally, when people join the OCS, they have time to adjust to the severity of this lifestyle. Not only are you the halo bearer, but you were thrown into this quite suddenly.” Beatrice’s calm and measured tone was like music to Ava’s ears. “I’m sorry for that. When, not if, we defeat Adriel, you’ll be able to return to standard training. Hopefully, that will help you become more adept at this, although this is a far more personal mission than most.”

Ava sighed, still resting her head on Beatrice’s shoulder. The hand-shaped wound that Adriel left her was radiating pain through Ava’s entire arm. She tried to ignore it though, because despite everything, it was still really nice to be this close to Beatrice. She seemed to sense Ava’s thoughts, as she stretched her arm around Ava’s shoulders.

“For now, though, you’ll have to talk to us sometimes. Let us in.” Beatrice continued, well aware of Ava’s proximity to her. “Trust your team, remember? I can promise you, without a doubt, that we are all stronger together… You’re not a failure, Ava.” 

“I really like you.” Ava was looking at the ground in a failed attempt to hide her flushed cheeks. “Not just because you always seem to pull me back from the brink, though. You’re also smart and strong and kind and…” She continued, in a hushed whisper, “Beautiful.”

Now, it was Beatrice’s turn to blush. She was no stranger to compliments, no one with her achievements would be. Rarely, however, did they feel so personal. And intimate. 

“I… Thank you. I really like you, too.” Beatrice smiled, but was too shy to look at Ava. “You bring out the best in me - you make me not want to hide away from the world or seal myself off.”

Beatrice surprised even herself when she reached for Ava’s face to bring her in for a kiss. This one felt different from the rest, and slower. The emotion that they both brought was immeasurable, and Beatrice felt Ava’s tears on her own cheeks. 

They pulled away simultaneously, eyes still closed and foreheads pressed together. Beatrice could feel the warmth of Ava’s hand on her cheek - that alone was almost overwhelming. 

“I love you.” Ava whispered. 

“I love you, too.” Beatrice whispered, meeting Ava’s eyes. Everything felt so new, but simultaneously, familiar and warm. 

A sole gunshot rang through the air, suddenly, startling them both to their feet. Beatrice was sure that she knew what it meant, as she led Ava inside, at a run. Camila and Lilith had obviously heard it too, because they were running for the break room too. Just as everyone reached the door, Mary stepped out, calmly reholstering her shotgun. 

“Hi, nothing to see in there.” Mary opened, surprisingly nonchalant as she closed the door gently behind her. 

“Did you…” Beatrice asked, fearing she already knew the answer. 

“Wouldn’t you have done the same?” Mary countered, with a pointed look towards Ava. Beatrice swallowed and didn’t answer. If anyone killed Ava, Beatrice was certain that she would lose herself completely. 

“We need to go, now!” Lilith shouted, almost out of nowhere. “Meet me out front!” She disappeared in a cloud of black. Lilith’s newfound intuition had been right before, so her sisters ran, full tilt, out the front of the building. Once they were outside, they could hear the faint wail of sirens that permeated the air. Thankfully, Lilith already had the van running, so everyone piled in quickly.

“Head South,” Mary instructed Lilith, who was behind the wheel. “About an hour out there is a place we can lay low. There are some good people there.”

“Mary!” Camila scolded, “Did you find out anything useful from Father Vincent?” 

“Yes… But it’s not all good news.” 

They had to stop for petrol a few miles down the road, but thankfully, the police didn’t seem to be following them. Beatrice used the opportunity, and sink access, to clean the blood off of her face. She tried to clean it off her shirt as well, but she had less luck. After washing up, she met her other sisters at one of the picnic tables that adorned the edge of the parking lot.

“Where’s Ava?” Lilith asked, as Beatrice walked up alone. 

“I thought she was with you guys…?” Beatrice felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. 

“She’s right there!” Camila observed excitedly, pointing towards the petrol station. 

Sure enough, there was Ava, carrying an armful of candy. Beatrice smiled, and then laughed, thankful that there wasn’t any trouble. 

“Can the halo bearer get diabetes?” Mary wondered aloud, as Ava dumped a literal pile of candy on the table. 

“I don’t know, but I haven’t tried any of these!” Ava’s face was so full of childish delight that one could almost forget the mental breakdown she had earlier. Beatrice’s smile faltered when she remembered the sight of Ava screaming in the dirt. 

“So…” Mary began, drumming her hand on the table nervously. “Adriel can’t be killed.”

“What!?” Lilith jumped up from the table, obviously pissed. 

“Well, he can, but he can’t.” Mary paused, and everyone looked confused. “I’m not a super genius like you guys,” she gestured at Beatrice and Camila, “But it was hypothesised that Adriel is tying demons to this world, right?”

“Yes, that’s why we were going to destroy the bones.” Camila added. “And you’re plenty smart in your own right, Mary, don’t sell yourself short.”

“Thank you, Camila.” Mary smiled at her, before continuing. “Apparently, it works the other way as well… The Tarasks - or their skeletons - are tying Adriel to this world. The Divinium ties Adriel to this world.” 

“It all makes sense.” Ava whispered, her face suddenly solemn, despite the pile of candy in front of her. 

“Please, explain.” Beatrice requested, placing a hand on Ava’s shoulder. 

“When we were in the tomb together…” Ava shuddered. “He said the Divinium could whisper to him… That it was telling him things…” 

“We could never find every single piece of Divinium, even if it would get rid of Adriel. The OCS has been using it in weapons and arrowheads for centuries. Plus there are likely several sources of it that haven’t even been discovered by humans yet…” Camila trailed off. 

“Adriel has been injured at least, thank you Ava. According to Father Vincent, that should buy us a few days before he resurfaces. Plus, he wouldn’t have his...helper this time. We need to come up with something, sooner rather than later.” 

“I think our first step should be finding a place to sleep for the night. A change of clothes could go a long way too.” Beatrice observed, as they were each covered in both dirt in and blood. 

“Can we eat, too?” Ava asked, quietly.

“What, is that candy not enough for you?” Lilith jokes, motioning at Ava’s pile of confectionaries. 

“Mary, I don’t mean to second guess you, but how sure is this information from Father Vincent?” Beatrice was respectful as she voiced everyone’s concern aloud. 

“Trust me, he wasn’t lying.” Mary replied, darkly, her face was unreadable.


	11. With Great Power...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar hero makes an appearance. Ava and Beatrice get to go on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeet this is my first fanfic ever lmfao

In a small shopping centre, well outside of Madrid, a group of bloodied women stood, drawing too much attention. 

“People are looking at us.” Ava observed, stating the obvious as she looked around. 

“No shit.” Mary replied. “I’m going to get some new clothes, meet me back here in 20 minutes.” She walked away, towards the only clothing store in the building. 

Lilith and Camila followed her, leaving Beatrice alone with Ava.

“Ava, do you want to -” Beatrice was interrupted before she could finish her sentence. 

“Costume store!!” Ava exclaimed, turning towards, what to her, seemed like a far more exciting option. 

“Ava, no! We need normal clothes!” Beatrice argued, knowing it was probably in vain.

“Ava, yes!” She replied, already walking away. Beatrice sighed and headed into the normal clothing shop; she would get a  _ normal  _ outfit for Ava as well. 

“Guys, I have an idea.” Mary told Camila and Lilith as they walked through the shop. 

“What is it?” Camila asked, genuinely. 

“Okay, but it might make Beatrice and Ava a little bit uncomfortable, but in the best way.”

“Oh, I am so ready, what’s your idea?” Lilith smiled. 

Beatrice joined them as they were finalising their plans, in a rush of giggles.

“What’s so funny?” She felt slightly self-conscious. 

“Nothing important,” Camila lied with a grin. “Where’s Ava?”

“She… Decided to go a different route, clothing wise.” 

“This is the only clothing store…” Lilith trailed off, looking around.

Mary and Lilith both chose all-black ensembles, unsurprisingly. Lilith’s outfit was slightly more formal, with a flowing cotton shirt instead of a hoodie. Camila, however, chose jeans and a shirt she thought was  _ fun.  _

“Camila, no offense, but you look like a middle aged, American dad on vacation.” Mary joked, gesturing at Camila’s hawaiian shirt. 

“Well, I like it! Plus, at least it has colour!” She defended her shirt with a smile. “At least I’m not wearing all black, that’s so boring.” She added the last part with a pointed look at both Mary and Lilith.

Beatrice had chosen an outfit that was somewhere in the middle - not quite monochromatic, but also not that colourful. Navy blue dress pants seemed refined, but also allowed her to move enough to fight. Paired with a grey linen shirt, Beatrice felt as though she looked respectable. Uncharacteristically, however, she didn’t have her hair tied back. Instead, it fell in loose waves, slightly windblown.

“Where’s Ava?” Lilith asked, as Beatrice joined them back outside the store, with an outfit for Ava in her shopping bag.

“Oh my God…” Mary breathed, as they watched someone in a Spiderman costume wave at them. 

“I’m going to kill her,” Lilith growled, as Ava came bounding towards them. 

To say they drew attention while they walked would be an understatement, as Ava not only refused to take the costume off, but also waved to the children that they passed.

“Ava, take it off, this is embarrassing.” Lilith whispered to her, angrily. 

“No! I am protecting my secret identity. With great power, comes great responsibility; you know!?” Camila and Mary laughed at Ava’s joke, while Lilith scowled. Beatrice looked down at her feet while she walked, feeling left out because she didn’t get the reference. 

There was a small restaurant on the outskirts of the tiny town, with a spectacular view of the countryside. Rolling hills of amber grass stretched into the distance, illuminated by the late day sunlight and gently swaying in the breeze.

Mary knew the owner from a previous mission to the area, she greeted him with a laugh, as the two of them retreated deeper into the restaurant for a private discussion. 

“Ava, you need to change, seriously.” Beatrice told her, pressing the bag of clothes into her chest. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Beatrice was slightly embarrassed by Ava today. No, not embarrassed. Rather, despite Ava’s upbringing, she seemed to be funnier and more social than Beatrice ever was. 

Beatrice tried to push the ugly thoughts out of her head, while pulling Ava’s mask off. 

“No! Hero unmasked!” Ava pretended to cover her face, but the smile on her face was clear. “But yes, I will change for you.” The wink she added after that less sentence made her blush, but not as much as the quick kiss Ava planted on her cheek while walking away.

Camila elbowed Beatrice in the ribs, with a huge smile on her face, as Ava headed to the bathroom. Once inside, she took out the clothes that Beatrice had picked for her. Black jeans and a while, linen button down - simple and commonplace… unlike her costume.

Ava looked at herself in the mirror. It was still weird, seeing her reflection, especially in the Spiderman costume. Once changed, she rolled up her sleeves, because Ava thought the shirt would look better on her that way. Plus, when you’re  _ sort of  _ dating a nun, there’s only so much skin you can show. 

On her wrist, however, the wound from Adriel remained - totally unhealed. Ava noticed that, beyond being unhealed despite the halo being recharged, her veins around the wound now dimly glowed blue.  _ Well, that’s new.  _ Despite her instincts, she touched it, with no pretense of gentleness.

Pain seared through her body as she dropped into a crouch and Ava shoved her face into her shoulder to keep from yelling out. As the pain coursed through her body, violent memories also resurfaced, vividly. They were so realistic, Ava was almost convinced she had travelled back in time and was reliving them once more. 

It was only a few seconds before the sensation faded, but to Ava, it felt like an eternity. She shakily stood up, rolled her sleeves back down, and washed her face. With another look in the mirror, she plastered on a smile, and went back out to meet her friends. It was rare that the calm moments lasted and she wasn’t about to ruin it. 

Beatrice smiled at Ava as she returned, silently admiring how nice she looked. Something seemed off about her, Beatrice noted, but before she could ask about it, Mary returned with the owner. 

“Alright,” he said, “We have only a few tables left, so you three come with me.” He gestured to Camila, Mary, and Lilith.

“Wait… There are several -” Beatrice stopped mid-sentence, staring at Mary.

“Good luck, champ!” Mary was beaming, and she clapped Beatrice on the back as she walked away. Lilith and Camila were obviously trying to hold in their laughs until they were out of earshot. Shortly afterwards, the owner returned and seated Beatrice and Ava on the patio. Alone.

“So…” Ava began, blushing wildly. “I guess it’s a date.” 

“I’m going to kill them!” Beatrice whispered, turning in her seat.

“Hey,” Ava began, setting her hand on top of Beatrice’s. “Have you ever considered that, despite the jokes, they might be trying to do something nice for you? For us?”

“I… I… Sorry.” Beatrice turned back around and faced Ava properly. 

“So, uh… Tell me about yourself.” Ava smiled when she said it, although mentally she was chastising herself for being so awkward.  _ Tell me about yourself? Really? Jesus Christ Ava.  _

“I…” Beatrice looked down, unsure of what to say. “What are you going to order?”

“Umm…” Now, it was Ava’s turn to trail off. “I haven’t been to a restaurant in over a decade, so I have literally no idea.”

Beatrice looked at the menu, not actually reading anything, trying to calm down. Ava broke the silence after several minutes. 

“What are your top five pasta shapes?”

“What?” Beatrice thought she must have had a mental break when Ava asked. 

“Okay, so if you were ranking pasta shapes, what are your five favourites?”

Beatrice didn’t reply right away, so Ava ranked hers. “I guess first would be rotini, because they have a fun shape, and they hold sauce well.” 

“Is this a joke?” Beatrice inquired, flustered. 

“No? I am just making conversation.” Ava laughed, and continued to rank pasta shapes. “Spaghetti is good, but fettucini is better, so fettuccine gets the second place trophy.”

Looking at Ava, and listening to her pasta rankings, seemed to calm down Beatrice enough to laugh. Unconsciously, she took down a few of her many emotional walls. 

“I didn’t realise you have such strong feelings about pasta.” Beatrice laughed, interrupting Ava’s surprisingly well thought arguments about it.

“I have strong feelings about a lot of things…” Ava trailed off, not meeting Beatrice’s eye, but looking at the view instead. 

“Ava, can I ask you a personal question?” Beatrice whispered.

“Yes, of course.” Ava turned back towards Beatrice, actually meeting her eyes. 

“What’s it like? You went from being paralysed, to dead, to the halo bearer. That’s probably the most extreme change that someone could go through...”

Closing her eyes for a moment, Ava sighed before replying. “It was…  _ It is  _ unbelievable. It’s amazing and horrible at the same time, somehow. I didn’t kill myself, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish for death nearly every day at the orphanage. When I got the halo, it was pretty disorienting, as you know.” Beatrice nodded, slightly surprised at how honest Ava was being, without the usual jokes.

Ava continued, “But seeing the ocean,  _ running again _ , it’s always the simple things that really stand out to me. And I’m so  _ hungry  _ all the time!” Beatrice set her hand over Ava’s, and kept it there, to encourage her to keep talking. 

“The pain is new, too. I went from not feeling anything below my neck, to being shot, impaled, stabbed… That might take some getting used to. Sorry, I’m not explaining this well…” Ava apologised, suddenly self-conscious. 

“Ava, you are explaining it perfectly. It was quite the loaded question, too.” Beatrice squeezed Ava’s hand as she spoke, to reassure her. “You don’t have to continue explaining, if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do.” Ava was adamant. “It’s weird, because even the bad stuff, I’m thankful for. Like, when we fought Adriel, the first time, I was in so much pain. But… Well, I could actually  _ feel it.  _ And you guys were all there, my friends, my family. I was so thankful for that, I was thankful to not be alone then. It was almost comical, my  _ nun  _ friends, I think I laughed but I can’t remember.”

“You did, it sprayed blood all over my shoes.” Beatrice told her. 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“Ava, you were mortally wounded, you don’t need to apologise for bleeding on me. It wasn’t the first time, nor was it the last.” 

“This is an interesting life.” Ava looked back out over the view, seemingly done talking.

A waiter interrupted them then, asking for their orders. Beatrice ordered first, Paella, in perfect Spanish. The waiter turned to Ava next, and she smiled at him politely, and told him she would have the same.

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.” Beatrice noted, after the waiter had left their table.

“I don’t speak a hundred different languages like you do, but I do speak Spanish. I’ve lived here for years, and that’s what the nuns at the orphanage spoke. Plus, that’s what they speak on TV.” It was such an obvious answer and Beatrice felt like a fool for asking. 

“My turn to ask a personal question.” Ava had a mischievous smile on her face and Beatrice couldn’t help but feel nervous. 

“Okay…” Beatrice felt like her skeleton was trying to force its way out of her body. 

“How did you become… you know, you?”

Beatrice couldn’t help but laugh. “What does that even mean, Ava?” 

“Like…” Ava sighed, then took a deep breath. “Okay, so you are a phenomenal woman, even by OCS standards. You’re beyond talented, smart, kind, etc. If that were me, I would be so cocky, and even more irritating that I already am. But you’re not… You’re humble and kind and you seem like… Sorry if this is presumptuous… But you seem like you think that… Well, that you’re not good enough.”

“I’m not.” Beatrice stated, simply, avoided Ava’s gaze entirely. 

“Beatrice… No offense, but what the  _ fuck _ ? Sorry for swearing, but seriously.” Ava seemed to be winding up, “You’re literally amazing, I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re good at everything!”

“Ava, stop.” Beatrice interrupted Ava before she could really get going. “My entire life, I’ve worked to achieve. Perfect test scores, languages, sports, martial arts - I had to be the best. Because then, maybe, I wouldn’t seem so… wrong.”

“Nothing about you is wrong.” Ava said, with such resolution that Beatrice almost believed her. “I’ll tell you everyday, every  _ hour,  _ until you can accept that.”

Beatrice didn’t answer, but she did smile. The sky had begun to go pink as the sun set over the hills. It was one of those evenings where you try to remember every detail, every perfect detail, so you can relive it again. 

“I bet you miss our pasta shape discussion now, huh?” Ava asked, curiously. Before Beatrice could reply, their waiter returned, with two steaming plates of Paella. In addition to their food, the waiter brought a tray with four shot glasses, four lime wedges, and a small bowl of salt. 

Before either of them could ask, the waiter explained. “There is a table of girls inside, they ordered these for you.” Beatrice put her face in her hands, secretly vowing to get back at Mary for this. Ava, on the hand, had other ideas. With a charmingly huge smile, she explained to the waiter that she had never done a shot. He laughed, and asked them to wait for a moment. 

“Ava, are you serious?” 

“What? We almost die, like, every day. I think we’ve earned it.”

“I’ve never drank alcohol before…” Beatrice was embarrassed. 

“I only have once, but I had to leave because I pushed a guy clear across the entire bar.” Beatrice gave her a look, but the waiter returned before she could ask about what Ava said.

He had another tray, with a shot for himself, as well as the accoutrements. Explaining in Spanish, he told them to lick and salt the back of their hand, take the tequila shot, and then bite into the lime. Ava laughed along with him, the picture of innocence, while Beatrice was quiet and still. With another laugh, the waiter wished them well, and left to tend his other tables. 

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I’m not going to bully you into it.” Ava told Beatrice, kindly, after the waiter had left them alone. 

“It’s not that. Sometimes, being with you makes me realise how much of a childhood… How many normal teenager experiences I missed out on.”

“I understand, trust me. Maybe… Well, maybe we can experience these things together?” Ava asked, shyly. 

“I would love to.” 

Each of them picked up a shot, preparing just like the waiter had shown them. 

“Cheers!” Ava grinned, clinking Beatrice’s glass. 

“Cheers!” Beatrice laughed. The alcohol burned her throat, but she was beyond happy to be here with Ava, so she didn’t mind. 

Beatrice could feel the effects of the alcohol almost immediately, but she was surprised to learn that it wasn’t a totally unpleasant experience. After two shots, the feeling was even more pronounced, but she didn’t care. They talked and laughed for another two hours, before Camila had to come retrieve them. It was an evening that Beatrice hoped - prayed - that she would never forget. 


	12. ...Comes Great Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The magic of the night fades away, into the harsh realities of morning. A shadow of a plan begins to form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3

It was early, Beatrice knew, without looking at a clock. She was laying on her back, staring at the top of their tent, with a huge smile on her face. Her  _ date  _ with Ava had been perfect. Awkward, of course, but perfect nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it had been one of the best nights of her life. Without looking over, Beatrice could feel Ava’s presence next to her, which warmed her heart immensely. 

Eventually, Beatrice turned over, to look at Ava. Her hair was messed up, but to Beatrice, it was absolutely adorable. She also admired Ava’s fine features, noting that Ava only looked calm while asleep. About to roll back over, something blue caught Beatrice’s eye.

Gently, as to not wake the halo bearer, Beatrice rolled Ava’s sleeve up. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw the wound Adriel had left. Ava’s veins glowed blue up to her elbow, emanating from the original handprint. Beatrice wasn’t sure whether or not she should be angry with Ava.

“Good morning…” Ava mumbled, a while later, without opening her eyes. 

“Good morning,” Beatrice replied, her mind struggling to stay on task when confronted with Ava’s cuteness. 

“What’s wrong?” Despite her morning fatigue, once Ava opened her eyes, she could see that Beatrice was struggling with something. 

“I…” Beatrice was caught off guard by Ava’s perceptiveness. “When were you going to tell me?”

“About what?” Ava seemed genuinely confused, at first. “Oh… Yeah… That…” She finally added, with a self conscious look down at her wrist.

“Ava, this is serious! When were you going to tell me - us?” Ava flinched when Beatrice said her name. 

“I’m sorry… I don’t know… I didn’t want to be a burden… Last night was one of the best nights of my life. If I had told you… Well, it probably wouldn’t have been.” Ava’s honesty shocked Beatrice, and despite her anger, she was secretly ecstatic that Ava had fun too. 

“Does it hurt? The halo should have healed it by now, several times over.” Beatrice noted, moving forward to touch Ava’s wrist. 

“Would you believe me if I said no?” Ava asked, pulling away before Beatrice could touch her. 

Ava pulled herself into a sitting position and looked at her wound for the first time since the day prior. “It didn’t look like this before…”

“Ava…” Beatrice was now more concerned than she was angry. 

“Beatrice…” Ava echoed, taking both of Beatrice’s hands in her own. “I’m sorry for hiding this from you. I was… I am scared… Of what it means. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”

“What am I going to do with you?” The combination of affection and worry that Beatrice felt was a novel experience for her.

“You could give me a kiss…” Ava smiled, shyly. 

“You’re ridiculous, Ava, seriously, I was angry with you!” Despite her words, Beatrice gave Ava a quick kiss before climbing out of the tent. Ava followed her. 

A blanket of mist laid over the countryside and Beatrice spotted her sisters sitting on a low wall. Mary had convinced the restaurant owner to let them pitch their tents on his property, affording them a beautiful morning view. Not only had he let them stay the night, but he had also brought out a tray full of traditional Spanish pastries and a pot of coffee.

“Coffee?” Mary offered to Ava and Beatrice as they approached. 

“Yes please.” Beatrice said, gratefully, taking a small porcelain cup from Mary. 

“I’ve never had coffee before!” Ava explained, excited. She took a sip and immediately made a face. “It smells better than it tastes.” She added, as everyone laughed at her. 

“I’ve been thinking…” Camila began. “Obviously, we can’t destroy all of the Divinium in our realm, because we don’t even know where all of it is. What if we could trap Adriel again, though? That would work, in theory.” 

“Life hasn’t been going  _ according to theory,  _ lately.” Lilith said, solemnly. Steam rose from the cup that she was holding just under her face, making her look more ethereal than she already did. 

“Whatever our plan is, we have a complication.” Beatrice stated, gaining everyone’s attention. “Ava, do you care to explain?” Everyone turned towards Ava, who had been dissolving Kinder chocolate into her coffee, in an attempt to make it more palatable. Mary rolled her eyes, while Camila laughed. 

“Well, um…” Ava stood up, obviously caught off guard. She cleared her throat and tried to seem more serious. “I… I’ll just show you.” Rolling up her sleeve, again, Ava revealed her unique injury from Adriel. 

“What the fuck?!” Mary’s voice was on the edge of yelling. 

“ _ Language! _ ” Lilith gave Mary a half-hearted slap on the shoulder. “But, I agree with the sentiment.”

“Ava, how long were you planning on keeping this a secret?” Camila sounded genuinely hurt as she asked. 

Obviously overwhelmed, Ava didn’t reply right away. “I know it’s not good, I’m sorry, again.” She replied, eventually. 

“Does it connect you to Adriel?” Camila asked, with an academic curiosity. 

“I…” Ava was caught off guard. “I think so? But, well, if we cut my arm off, would the halo grow it back? I think that could be a viable option?”

“Absolutely not, we are not doing that.” Beatrice spoke up, slightly overprotective. 

“Absolutely not, as in, it won’t grow back? Or absolutely not, as in, we shouldn’t try?” Ava’s lack of care for herself made Beatrice insane sometimes. It was almost as if Ava didn’t realise how special she was, beyond just being a halo bearer. 

“Mary pushed me off a cliff this one time…” Ava continued speaking, despite Mary making shushing motions. “And both my elbows broke, pointing backwards, but they healed fine! This is basically the same thing!”

“I’m sad I wasn’t there to see that.” Lilith jokes, with a hint of seriousness. 

“It’s not the same thing. I don’t think a halo bearer has ever regrown a limb. It’s never been mentioned in any of the archives.” Camila stated, matter-of-factly. “If it connects you to Adriel, it could help us track him back down.” 

“Fine, we won’t cut it off…” Ava whispered, looking down. “At least not yet…” 

“Camila, whether it leads to Adriel or not, there is a second complication…” Beatrice hated this entire situation.

“Which is?” 

“It’s spreading.” Ava answered, before Beatrice could say anything. 

“I’ve seen this before.” Lilith stated, simply, after several moments of stunned silence.

“That’s… Good news?” Ava asked, eyes shining as though she was about to cry.

“When I was in…” Lilith looked down, unreadable. “In Hell. Demons would fight constantly, although they rarely died. Sometimes, the wounds would become… Corrupted.”

Lilith still looked, resolutely, at the ground as she spoke. Tears ran off her face, into the dirt. Camila stepped closer, resting a hand on Lilith’s shoulder. 

“The corruption was tied to a demon’s strength, I think… If a demon wounded another, and later died, the corruption would go away. In other cases… Well, it became... Debilitating.” Ava had a feeling that Lilith was sugarcoating her explanations.

“But Adriel can’t be killed…” There was a hint of panic in Beatrice’s voice. 

“It’s a catch-44.” Ava stated, eyes locked on Lilith. 

“It’s catch-22, Ava.” Camila told her. 

“No, it’s catch-44 because there are two catch-22’s. Adriel ties the demons to our world and their skeletons tie him here. Now, I’m stuck with this,” she gestured to her arm, “but Adriel can’t die.” 

Camila chuckled, slightly, at Ava’s logic. “This still doesn’t change anything.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t change anything?” Mary sounded frustrated. 

“If we can trap Adriel, he would weaken over time,  _ theoretically.  _ Adriel becomes weakened and his hold on Ava is reduced. Plus, it prevents him from killing civilians. If Lilith is right, then that could answer all of our problems… Except one.”

“The demons would still be tied to our world.” Beatrice figured it out first, unsurprisingly. 

“Still, that’s what the OCS is for, dealing with demons. I think this is our best chance, at least with the information that we have.” Mary’s confidence was obvious, although not necessarily infectious. 

“Assuming that we can capture Adriel…” Ava didn’t finish her sentence right away. “Where are we going to put him? The tomb is obviously not an option…” She looked defeated. 

“I know a place.” Lilith replied, with a dark smile. 


	13. Bloody Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith and Ava share a unique journey. (TW suicide - its like 2 quick sentences in the middle but just in case)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this might be a little on the nose, idk

Everything was dark, until it wasn’t. 

“We’re here.” Lilith whispered, her hand still entwined in Ava’s. 

“Talk about the highway to Hell.” Ava looked up at Lilith with a joking smile, but it wasn’t returned.

“I don’t understand you.”

Hell wasn’t as ugly as Ava thought it was going to be. There was a winding path that seemed to corkscrew down, further than Ava could see. Her and Lilith stood on the path, among an expansive field of greyish-green grass. In the distance, castle ruins stood, almost like a beacon. Ava began to step off the path, towards the castle.

“Stay on the path.” Lilith snapped, pulling on Ava’s shoulder. 

“Why?” 

“It’s harder for  _ them  _ to sense you… And it’s easier to get lost than you might think.” Lilith began walking, following the path downwards. 

“A few more ground rules, just in case.” Lilith began explaining. “Don’t talk to anyone… Or anything. Stay with me, no matter what. Oh, and for the  _ love of God,  _ don’t touch anything.”

“I… Okay.” Ava decided that this, maybe, wasn’t the best time to make a joke. 

As they continued to walk, the scenery began to change, for the worst. Gnarled, leafless trees rose from the ground and rain began to fall. Soon, a forceful, screaming wind began to blow through. At times, Ava swore that she heard screams… But maybe that was just the wind. Sometimes, when lightning would cross the dark sky, she saw silhouettes moving among the trees. 

Ava wanted to ask Lilith several, if not hundreds, of questions, but the buffeting wind made that impossible. They trudged on, silently, through the rain. After several minutes, the rain stopped, although the ground remained muddy. 

It wasn’t long before the ground along each side of the path dropped away, turning it into a bridge. Muddy, thick-looking water moved slowly along, swirling unpredictably. Growling and snarling noises seemed to fill any silence in the air, although Ava didn’t see any demons. Looking into the water more closely, however, she saw bodies, trapped in the ebbs and flows.

“Are they…?” Ava started to ask, as they walked along the path.

“Dead? Yes. So don’t think about doing anything stupid.” Lilith replied, surprisingly kindly. 

“I wouldn’t... I can’t swim.” Ava admitted.

“Really?”

“There’s probably a huge list of things that other people can do, but I can’t.” Ava was honest about her lack of abilities.

“For now, but you’ll learn.” 

“That might be one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me.” Ava was smiling, although Lilith was facing away.

“Don’t tell anyone.” She turned around briefly, offering a rare grin. 

Beatrice was pacing frantically, across the grass where her friends had stood a moment ago. 

“When do you think they’ll be back?” She asked, hating that her voice sounded nervous. 

“Who can know? It hasn’t been that long, though.” Mary was seated against the stone wall, and despite her best attempts, she wasn’t hiding her nerves well. 

“Bea…” Camila put both her hands on Beatrice’s shoulders, forcing eye contact between them. “Have faith, sister. Lilith is capable, and Ava has made a lot of progress, too.” 

“I know… But this is  _ Hell. _ ” 

“I’m scared, too. Regardless of how we feel, though, this is for the greater good. Us worrying ourselves sick, well, it isn’t going to change their experience down there.” Camila was wise beyond her years and Beatrice appreciated her words.

Their surroundings became increasingly dark, both literally and figuratively, as Lilith and Ava marched downwards. The watery mud had dried up, as the path had rejoined land. Huge stones adorned the landscape, like gravestones. Ava swallowed, remembering her nightmare in the cemetery. 

A wailing sound filled the air, as Ava realised the purpose of the boulders. Under each one, a person lay, pinned down and unable to free themselves. To Ava, this predicament was unbearably familiar, and she felt ill. Tears filled her eyes, despite her best efforts to suppress them. Seemingly able to sense how she felt, Lilith turned to grab Ava’s hand. It was a simple gesture, true, but it gave Ava the strength to continue walking, to leave the wailing behind them. 

With screams still hanging faintly in the air, the path came abruptly to an end. It was violently bisected by a river, raging. In the distance, a boat crossed, coming towards them. Despite the aggressive churning of the water, the boat moved as though the water were glass. The visual effect this had was haunting. 

Lilith pulled two, single Euro coins out of her pocket, passing one to Ava, who looked at her quizzically. 

“For the ferryman.” She explained, succinctly. 

“Oh… Thanks.” Ava was happy for Lilith’s guidance, but she was feeling increasingly guilty. This  _ place _ was awful and it was her fault that Lilith had been interned here. 

A faceless man in a hood guided the boat to shore, beckoning at Ava and Lilith. As they walked forward to join him, ghostly spectres appeared on all sides, climbing into the boat. They handed the faceless man their coins and he nodded solemnly. The boat carried them across the river and Ava couldn’t shake the feeling that she  _ really  _ didn’t belong here. She wished, for a moment, that she shared Lilith’s seemingly unshakeable confidence in this moment. 

_ You idiot! No one should be confident here. It’s literally Hell. It’s your fault that this happened, yet you admire her confidence? God, you really are daft.  _

Massive stone walls stretched out of view on the other side of the river. An ornate gate hung open and smoke rose from beyond the wall. 

“This is more what I was picturing.” Ava tried to make light of the situation - her chosen method of emotional defense.

“Be cautious, it only gets more dangerous from here.” 

Rows and rows of tombs adorned either side of the path, on the other side of the wall. Some were ornate, whereas others were incredibly modest. Regardless of style, each shared a common feature, fire. Ashes blew in the air, stinging their eyes. 

A few of the tombs had been completely reduced to ash, whereas others seemed to be newly burned. Arms extended from several of the tombs, reaching towards Ava, flesh melting off the bones. Her and Lilith were careful to duck under any extending limbs, as the acrid smell of burning filled the air. 

As they continued through the smoke, faces began to appear, through small holes in the burning buildings. Hoarse voices begged for death, for water, for forgiveness. Ava opened her mouth to respond, when Lilith clapped her hand over Ava’s mouth, dragging her away. 

“Don’t talk to them!” Lilith whispered, angrily, as the smoke began to clear. 

“Sorry, sorry.” Ava looked down, ashamed. Lilith didn’t reply, rather, she kept walking. It wasn’t long before the smoke cleared completely, revealing a massive cliff. Ava thought it was impassable, but upon closer inspection, she noticed a precarious staircase carved into the side. 

“I’ve never been further than this before.” Lilith admitted, standing atop the cliff, looking down. “But if what I think is at the bottom, is, we need to know.”

“How certain are you?” Ava asked, as respectfully as possible.

“Ninety percent… It really is our best shot… I just hate that we had to make this journey to check…” Lilith trailed off, uncharacteristically. 

“Lilith…” Ava grabbed her wrist as she was turned toward the stairs. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay? Just try not to talk to anyone else.” Lilith seemed confused.

“No, not for that. Well, yes, for that. But for,” Ava gestured around her, “all of this.”

“Oh…” Lilith looked down, seemingly a million miles away.

“Seriously. I’m so beyond sorry. You were here because of me and you have to come back because of me. So, it’s, like, doubly my fault.” 

“Ava, I did try to kill you, remember? You had a genuine reason to fear me.” 

“You should have, I’m probably the worst halo bearer the OCS has ever seen. It would have kept everyone safer and happier if you were the halo bearer.”

“A month ago, I would have agreed with you.” Lilith seemed pensive as she looked across the stony abyss. “But now, I’m not so sure.”

“Why?”

“I trained my entire life, to be stronger, better, smarter, because I expected to be the halo bearer one day. That’s what everyone expected of me, I mean, it’s in my blood. I can’t help but wonder… Maybe this was God’s plan for me all along - to be strong enough to bear this burden.”

Ava didn’t reply, she just let Lilith continue talking. “And Ava, you aren’t that bad at this. Especially for someone with no training. Father Vincent made a lot of mistakes and told a lot of lies. Yet, I don’t think he was lying about you being a miracle - chosen for this.”

“Still, I’m sorry.” 

“Ava, stop apologising. You’re almost making me miss the dumb jokes. Besides, you’re here with me now, which I know isn’t easy.”

“Like  _ Hell  _ I’d let you come alone again.” Ava chuckled at her joke, while Lilith rolled her eyes. 

Back in the land of the living, Camila, Mary, and Beatrice were hostage to their own thoughts. Hours had passed, with no sign of Ava and Lilith. With each minute, they became more nervous that their friends wouldn’t return. 

Mary was privately guilty, wondering if she was too cavalier about this plan, wondering if she should have stopped them. Lilith and Ava were both extraordinarily strong individuals, but it was undeniable that had been negatively affected by recent events. 

While Camila dug through the books she had in her tent, Lilith’s notebook fell open. Despite her best instincts, Camila couldn’t help flip through a few pages. There were no words, only dark, angry-looking drawings of the horrors of Hell. Obviously, Camila felt guilty, but seeing the depictions that Lilith had penned made her even more anxious. 

Practicing martial arts was the only thing that distracted Beatrice enough to keep her from losing her mind. Even then, it was only by a small margin. Beatrice trusted Lilith, implicitly, but this was far beyond the confines of a normal mission.  _ Normal  _ missions seemed like they were a world away, Beatrice realised, with a surprising sadness. 

Small puddles decorated the daunting staircase, and as Ava stepped in one, she realised that they were blood - not water. Her stomach turned again with the realisation. Little ledges were common across the cliffside. Some of them had grass and trees, too. Among the branches of several trees, hung bodies, bodies that seemed both alive and dead. 

Ava tried to look away as they whispered to her, asking her to join them, to stay for a little while. Lilith and Ava were both privately thankful that they had each other. Not for the first time that day, Ava felt as though she would vomit. 

The staircase ended before the cliffside did. While the stairs became a bridge, the trench below teemed with demons. Ava looked down, realising for the first time, that there were a lot more than just Tarasks and Wraiths out there. She took a hard swallow and tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other - and nothing else. 

“It should be through here.” Lilith whispered, on the other side of the bridge. She stood at the mouth of a dark tunnel and Ava realised she could see her breath. 

“I wasn’t expecting it to be cold.” Ava tried to keep the mood light, in a failed attempt to shutter the fear. 

“You should read more.” Lilith added, as they walked, now side by side. 

It was almost beautiful, the frozen expanse on the other side of the tunnel. As Ava stepped onto the ice, she saw frozen people, pressed up against the other side. 

“I don’t understand how this helps.”

“The ice, it’s flecked with Divinium, it’s like… Sort of like a prison.” Lilith tried to explain. She didn’t have the right words for what she meant. Rather, it was like an unknown instinct was telling her what she needed to know. 

“Right. Okay. So we fight Adriel, wound him, then teleport to  _ Hell,  _ and bury him here.” 

“In theory, yes.” Lilith hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. 

“How do we get below the ice? Should I phase through it?” Ava asked, genuinely. 

“I don’t know if you can…” Lilith didn’t know the answer to Ava’s question. “But if you try, I’m right here. You wouldn’t need to get that far down, just a foot or two. There are other forces that keep the evil contained here.”

Ava didn’t ask about the other forces, rather, she found a spot on the ice that wasn’t already inhabited. With a deep breath, she thrust her arms through, then her whole body. Divinium shrapnel scraped her body and Ava had to move slowly, to avoid the pieces that could be fatal. 

After phasing through a decent distance, Ava turned around and repeated the same delicate process. 

“Okay, I can do it!” Ava exclaimed, proudly, while dripping blood from several wounds. 

“Great, but you  _ can’t  _ bleed in here!” Lilith began running towards Ava, “You’ll attract -”

A ferocious roaring and an infernal pounding seemed to be drawing closer at an impossible speed. Lilith tackled Ava at a full run, teleporting them out, moments before impact. In the split second before they left, Ava caught a glimpse of the largest demon she had ever seen. It wasn’t a close contest, either. 

The air seemed to split as Lilith brought Ava back from Hell. Ava promptly threw up in a bush. 

“Bloody Hell!” Ava jokes, after she was done vomiting up coffee and candy. 


	14. Selfish?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava's long day gets even longer and her shirt is ruined, AGAIN.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pour one out for the amount of shirts that Ava has gotten blood stains on, RIP

“I was worried about you.” Beatrice whispers, holding Ava close.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” Ava replied, with candor. 

“You’re bleeding, again.” Beatrice pushed Ava away to get a better look at her. “You’re bleeding quite a lot, actually.”

“It’s Divinium.” Lilith told her, from within Mary and Camila’s hug. 

“What? Ava! Why didn’t you say anything?” Beatrice wasn’t angry, but she wasn’t pleased, either. 

“I’m quirky like that.” Ava shrugs, failing to hide the wince that crossed her face as she spoke. 

Another piece of Divinium clinked into a bloody coffee cup by Camila’s side. Her face was shockingly still has she worked, with no hint of a smile. Ava laid as still as possible, in the large trunk of the van, while Beatrice assisted Camila. Mary and Lilith sat a short distance away, discussing the logistics of their fledgling plan. 

“Ava, you really need to be more careful.” Camila advised, while removing a piece of Divinium from just below Ava’s collarbone. “This one was only a few inches from your heart.”

“I’m sorry. It was unavoidable, I promise. You can ask Lilith.”

“What was it like… There?” Camila couldn’t help but ask, with burning curiosity. 

“I’ll…” Ava seemed like she was going to make a joke, but then decided against it. “It was awful, but not in the way you would think. Or maybe it is? Some parts weren’t that bad, all things considered, but if Lilith hadn’t been there… Well, it would have been worse. A lot worse.” 

“Were there Tarasks there?” Camila wanted to know, to confirm other reports from the archives.

“There were more than Tarasks, a lot more. Bigger things, scarier things. It wasn’t the demons that I thought were scary though… I know they are the most dangerous, but they are so  _ in your face  _ about it. The condemned people… Or not people? They were - are the most terrifying part.”

“More than Tarasks…” Camila pondered aloud, while pulling more fragments from Ava’s leg. Beatrice didn’t speak. Imagining Ava in a place like that made her feel crushed.

“I guess I should get used to it though, huh?” Ava asked, withdrawn.

“Why?” Beatrice inquired.

“Well, that’s where I’m headed once I die, again. Right? At least probably…”

“Ava! You would go to  _ Heaven _ !” Camila cried, before Beatrice could say anything. 

“That’s even worse, I look terrible in Birkenstocks!” Ava was deflecting with humour and trying to lighten the mood. Beatrice recognised the shadow behind her eyes, though, it was a look she had worn many times. No one else spoke as Camila removed the last remaining shards.

“Thank you, Camila.” Ava thanked her, gently, as she sat up. “Thank you too, Beatrice.” Unlike Camila, Beatrice got a quick kiss on the cheek. Mary wolf whistled at them as she walked up and Beatrice felt her ears go red. 

“So, Lilith says you guys found what you were looking for?” Mary began. 

“Yeah. But obviously, there are some  _ small, tiny, itty-bitty  _ issues.” Ava answered.

“Obviously.” Beatrice noted.

“We found a place to trap Adriel and we can get there faster next time, now that we know it’s  _ mostly  _ safe to teleport there directly. Once we’ve weakened him in battle, I’ll teleport him and Ava there, and she can phase him into the ice. I think that’s eminently reasonable.” Lilith was confident in their plan. 

“Also the ice is full of Divinium shrapnel and there is a huge demon guarding the area.” Ava added, feeling dizzy at the thought of going back.

“Oh, is that all?” Mary added, sarcastically. 

“We still have to find Adriel…” Camila whispered. 

“Even if… When we find him again… Well, I haven’t exactly beaten him yet, have I?” Ava looked down, avoiding everyone’s eyes. 

“Third time’s the charm though, right?” Lilith asked, the corner of her mouth creeping up in a smile. 

“You and Ava must have really bonded down there.” Mary said, laughing at Lilith’s attempt at humour. 

“We’re basically best friends now.” Ava finally smiled.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Lilith replied, but she flashed a quick grin at Ava anyhow. 

“Friends or not friends, I can’t say that I’m entirely comfortable with this plan.” Beatrice spoke in her calm and measured tone. 

“I agree with Bea… But I also don’t see a better one.” Camila noted, somewhat resigned. 

“Why don’t we take this one step at a time?” Ava suggested, trying to unify the group. “I’ll use the halo to locate Adriel… And then we’ll go from there?” 

“Last time…” Beatrice began.

“I’ll do better than last time.” Ava interrupted her, adamantly. 

Ava opened her eyes, momentarily blinded by the harsh afternoon sunlight.  _ It’s been a long fucking day.  _ She looked around, too conspicuously for a moment, before remembering that Adriel would likely be able to see her. Awkwardly, she tried to move with a little bit more discretion. 

The architecture around her looked Spanish… Or Middle Eastern?  _ I don’t know, I’m not an architecture expert, I’ve never been anywhere!  _ As Ava walked, aimlessly, she passed a tourist shop selling maps and souvenirs.  _ Seville. Just look at a map, Ava, seriously. Sometimes you are honestly so stupid.  _

For several minutes, Ava thought she was in the wrong place, until a single wraith demon screamed by, tearing its way around the corner. Surreptitiously, Ava followed. Outside of a youth hostel, Adriel stood, flirting with a young woman. He was facing away, but Ava knew it was him, the halo knew. 

Ava was too far away to hear their conversation, but the implication was obvious, as the woman invited Adriel to come up to her room. About to run after them, Ava stopped herself. She couldn’t risk exposure.  _ I’m sorry I can’t save you.  _ A single tear slid down Ava’s cheek, for another soul that she couldn’t save. She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes. 

“Ava…?”  _ Beatrice.  _

“Seville, touristy area.” Ava managed to choke out, resting her head on Beatrice’s shoulder, without opening her eyes. 

“You heard her, let’s hit the road kids.” Mary called out to Lilith and Camila, as they began packing up the tents. 

“Ava,” Beatrice began again, “Are you alright?”

“I’m tired… Not just tired, but  _ tired. _ ” Ava whispered.

“I’m afraid that I don’t understand what you mean, exactly.” 

“I’m tired of the pain and the worry. I’m so scared, not to lose myself, but to lose you. To lose any of you. If I die, but Adriel is defeated, and you guys are okay, that’s a win in my book.” 

Exhaustion from what seemed like a never-ending day had taken some of Ava’s walls down. There is no way she would have admitted that to Beatrice otherwise. 

“That wouldn’t be a win in my book, Ava.” Beatrice sounded pained as she spoke. “I want to come out of this war with you. Maybe I’m selfish… But yesterday, I got to experience  _ life  _ in a way I haven’t… In a long time. Because of you. Selfish or otherwise, I’m not ready for that to end.” 

Ava opened her eyes to look at Beatrice, surprised when she saw tears in her dark eyes. 

“You look beautiful with your hair down.” Ava whispered, running her fingers through it, as gently as possibly. 

“You’re deflecting, again.” Beatrice scolded, as her cheeks burned.

“Maybe, but you made me realise something with your  _ selfishness. _ ” Ava replied, with a coy smile. 

“Which was?” 

“Well, maybe I’d like to spend more time with you too… Preferably while we aren’t fighting for our lives.” Ava stuttered, suddenly more shy than she had been a minute ago.

“I’m really glad to hear that, Ava.” 

“There’s something else… But I can’t say it.” Ava continued to run her fingers through Beatrice’s hair as she spoke. 

“Wait, why?” Concern tinged Beatrice’s voice as she asked. 

Beatrice didn’t get an answer to her question, at least, not a verbal answer. Despite the violence, the bloodied clothes, the constant fear - the kiss between them felt innocent and perfect. 


	15. The Big Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As fighting breaks out, is quickly becomes unclear who will win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mi pan su su sum

“Why can’t Adriel hide in somewhere a little less populated?” Ava moaned, as they slowly drove through Seville’s more touristy areas.

“He’d give up his biggest advantage, mass possession.” Camila stated the obvious. 

“Yeah, which would be nice!” Ava replied, trying to lessen the tension in the air. She was unsuccessful. 

It had gotten dark as they drove, street lights illuminated the busy sidewalks. Ava and her sisters had changed back into their traditional fighting clothes, but the dark made it slightly less obvious that they were nuns. Beatrice was relieved to be back in her familiar clothes, although a small part of her felt guilty - like she was committing a sin by wearing them. 

“There!” Ava shouted, suddenly, knocking Beatrice out of her thoughts. “Drive towards that pointy thing!”

“It’s a spire, Ava.” Lilith corrected, monotone.

“Whatever it is, it’s swarming with wraiths. That’s gotta be our stop, right?”

“Oh joy.” Mary mumbled, turning left.

“Does everyone remember the plan?” Beatrice asked, trying to think logically. 

“It’s not that complicated… Lilith and I go for the big boy, and you guys beat back the possessed.”

“Ava, I really wish you would stop calling Adriel ‘big boy.’” Camila added, from the front seat.

In the previous four hours of driving, Ava had picked up a new, annoying habit of referring to Adriel as ‘big boy.’ Beatrice knew the others thought it was a joke, nothing more. She, conversely, suspected it might be a manifestation of Ava’s fear. Scared about something? Make jokes. It’s the Ava Silva special. 

It was obvious that Adriel knew they were coming. Surrounded by the possessed, he stood in the middle of an ornate plaza. She wished she could have come here in different circumstances; the surroundings were beautiful and the night air was calmingly cool on her cheeks. Sheepishly, in the back of her mind, she wanted to travel with  _ her  _ one day. 

Adriel didn’t keep them waiting for battle by monologuing, rather, he set the horde of the possessed on them immediately. Ava was barely out of the van when she had to begin fighting her way through the crowd. Glancing to her side, she saw Lilith doing the same, albeit with much more grace and skill. 

“There’s a lot more of them than last time!” Mary shouted, in between shotgun blasts. 

“That’s an understatement!” Camila agreed, as she unslung her automatic rifle. Beatrice didn’t reply, although she agreed with the sentiment. She was laser focused on her mission, thinning out the crowd at an impressive rate. 

Ava reached Adriel moments before Lilith, but they were already trading blows.  _ Alright, Ava. Focus. Block, block, and look for an opening.  _ She was fiercely determined not to let Adriel triumph again. 

“Oh, Ava…” Adriel laughed as he fought. “You’ll need a lot more than focus.” Ava didn’t reply, she just tried to remember the fighting skills she had learned. A lucky hit from Adriel knocked her off balance and he got several good slashes in. Thankfully, Ava’s shirt and outer layer of armour took the brunt of the hits. Standing up, now in just an undershirt and chest piece, the corruption that Adriel had left on Ava was fully exposed. 

“Seems like we are closer than I -” Adriel started to gloat while Ava stood up, only to be interrupted by a flurry of claws against his back. 

“Lilith, nice of you to join us!” Ava jokes, as she prepares to strike Adriel. Lilith doesn’t reply, too busy trying to wound Adriel. 

Against the two of them, Adriel was less cocky, although he still was a formidable opponent. After a few moments, Adriel managed to knock Lilith away, sending her flying into a stone wall, several metres away. Alone with Ava again, he smiled disconcertingly as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. 

Ava quickly realised that it would take Lilith a few minutes to make it through the possessed crowd, again. Knowing this, it was obvious that she had to hold her own against Adriel for at least that long.  _ Alright, no trouble. I can do this.  _ Even her thoughts seemed unsure. She could feel the corruption searing and spreading through her arm. 

With a glance over at Camila, Beatrice, and Mary, she set her resolve, as she exchanged blows with Adriel.  _ For them. For your friends. No, they’re your family, now.  _ After several near misses, Ava finally seemed poised to strike Adriel. At the last moment before impact, he caught the Divinium sword, stopping it from slicing through him. 

From the horde, Beatrice watched this, her heart rising and falling within seconds. ‘Focus, Beatrice.’ She whispered to herself, while dodging blows from several former people at once. Had she continued watching though, she would have seen the halo begin to glow, and the Divinium sword brighten with it. A split second later, Adriel’s fingers were separated from his hand.

“Nice one, Ava!” Mary cheers, as she beats back the possessed. Ava smiles for a moment, then quickly stops, when she realises the battle is far from over. 

“That was a good one, I’ll give you that.” Adriel’s voice drips with contempt as he holds up his mangled hand. With a flourish, fingers regrow from each stump, until there is no damage left.  _ Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. That’s not good.  _

Lilith rejoined Ava then, the two of them working in perfect synchronicity. After minutes of combat, they were both wounded, but Adriel was, too.  _ An eye for an eye…  _ Ava thought, grimly.  _ We might actually be able to do this!  _ Adriel rose, again, his feet lifting from the ground. 

“You two have done well. But, is it really worth sacrificing your friends to kill me?” He asked, with unmistakably fake sympathy in his voice. Camila, Beatrice, and Mary stood in the middle of a crowd of the possessed, most of whom had been cleanly dispatched. At Adriel’s word, however, they stood again. 

Wraith demons, under Adriel’s command, rocketed through the sky, imbibing the crowd with greater strength than before. Ava could see the clouds of red streaming from them, although no one else could.

“Back to back.” Beatrice whispered. Mary joined her quickly, but Camila was slower. One of her legs was bloodied and she walked with a limp. “Camila, are you hurt?” Beatrice asked, once the younger girl had joined them.

“Yeah… I’m sorry. I can push through it, though.” She whispered back. Beatrice felt a rush of empathy for Camila, she was so young - and so kind. Her soul felt too pure to be a part of this war. 

“Mary, how about you?” 

“I’m good.” Mary answered, resolutely, although she sported her own collection of scrapes and bruises. Beatrice wiped the sweat from her face with the back of her hand, but upon feeling the stickiness, she realised it was blood. 

“Hold your position. In this life or the next.” Beatrice added the last part in a hoarse whisper, as blood dripped into one of her eyes. 

“In this life or the next.” Mary and Camila echoed, in unison. The possessed crowd lurched forward, with more speed and precision than before. 

Ava screamed as the horde converged on her sisters, but she couldn’t hear her own voice over the screaming of the demons. In a state of revelry, Adriel laughed, only to stop abruptly. A golden glow filled the air as Ava’s feet left the ground, propelled upward by the power of the halo. She was still screaming as the halo grew brighter and brighter, becoming nearly blinding. Just when it seemed as though the halo wouldn’t get any brighter, it generated a massive shockwave that filled the air with gold. 

Demon screams pierced the night as they retreated, forced from their hosts. Meanwhile, the horde fell away around Ava’s sisters, freeing them from what would have been a gruesome death. Adriel had been knocked to the ground as well, deeply affected by the halo’s immense power. Ava fell to the ground, next to him. 

Immediately, Ava knew the halo was drained. Her mind was foggy, but in that split second, she knew it was drained. So did Lilith. 

“Figure it out, Ava.” She shouted, as she reached for her hand. “We’re out of time!” Without another word, Lilith took her and Adriel back to Hell. 

As Mary helped Camila back to her feet, Beatrice ran forward, to where Ava had just been. A dark, pained look crossed her bloody face. In her hand, the Divinium sword. It had been glowing when Beatrice picked it up, but it quickly faded. Camila and Mary looked on, equally dark looks in their eyes. 


	16. Beyond Pain, Past Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith and Ava take Adriel to Hell, but will they make it out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these girls are gonna need some THERAPY

“Beatrice, what was your life like, before everything got so… Crazy?” Ava had asked her, on their date. Beatrice sighed, looking out once again at the tremendous view. She realised that she hadn’t thought about it as much as one would expect. 

“It was… Routine. Things were still difficult, of course, but not in the same way. Sometimes we would go on missions, but most days we were up early and training. When Shannon died…” Beatrice paused, unsure of how to answer. “When Shannon died, it felt like everything had changed - shifted. Like the stakes suddenly became a lot higher.” 

“They have, though, haven’t they?” Ava asked, not knowing what the OCS was like before the chaos. 

“Yes, almost immeasurably.” Beatrice felt reverent and undeserving, spending a truly beautiful evening with an equally stunning woman. 

Ava was quiet for a moment. “I know I haven’t done it much… Not yet, anyway. But… Well, I like helping people, Beatrice.” When Ava said her name, Beatrice felt like her entire body had been dipped in ice. It was also at this moment that Beatrice was sure, beyond sure, that Ava was meant for this. Meant for the halo.

“Bea?” The sound of Camila’s voice rang through Beatrice’s head, awakening her from the memory. 

“Yes?” Beatrice asked, standing up, sword still in her hand. 

“They’ll be back, both of them. I promise. But right now, we need you here, okay?” Camila offered her a sad smile.

Camila sat against the van as Beatrice performed first aid. “You need stitches.” She observed, quietly. 

“Stitch her up quick,” Mary added, pacing wildly. “We don’t know who’s going to be coming back… If anyone makes it back.”

“Mary, try to have a little bit of faith in our sisters. I know they can do this.” Despite the pain she was in, Camila’s smile was genuine. Beatrice wished she had the same unshakeable faith.

Beatrice, unsurprisingly, stitched Camila’s wound up perfectly. She also splinted the injury, fearing that her ankle was at least fractured, if not broken. 

“Alright Bea, do you want to switch places?” Camila asked, selfless as always.

“What? Why?” Beatrice was caught off guard, her mind already drifting back to Ava. She was not coping well with this. 

“Your face?” Camila gestured to Beatrice’s blood-soaked visage. 

“Oh. Yeah.” They switched places. As Beatrice sat against the van, she relaxed slightly, unable to maintain the instinctual adrenaline of battle. Upon relaxing, however, she realised that she was hurting. Her breath hitched at the sudden onslaught of pain. 

“I think my ribs are broken.” Beatrice rasped, as Camila wiped the blood from her face. 

“That’s the least of your worries, Bea. This is going to scar… Your beautiful face.” Camila acted as though this was the end of the world, in a jokingly dramatic fashion. 

“That’s okay, I hear chicks like scars.” Beatrice replied, with a painful laugh, remembering when Ava told her the same thing. It felt like a century ago. 

A small pile of bloody rags found their place on the ground, next to the van. Camila stitched up Beatrice as Mary inventoried their remaining bullets.

“We should have packed more weapons. There are only a dozen or so shotgun shells left back here.” Mary, normally the calmest in a tough situation, seemed to be losing her resolve. 

“Mary, come here please.” Camila called, as she finished stitching up Beatrice’s head. “What are you really afraid of?” She asked calmly, despite the cutting question. 

“I…” Mary paused. “I don’t want to lose another one, not so soon after…” She looked down, without finishing her sentence.

“I know.” Camila hugged her and Beatrice joined in, painfully and awkwardly. 

“I’m sorry, Mary.” Beatrice whispered, wincing as Camila pressed a cold pack against her rib cage. “I can’t even imagine…” Beatrice trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence. 

“You can, though. That’s your girl in there.” 

“Your girl…” Camila laughed, while cleaning and bandaging Mary’s few wounds. 

Beatrice’s head swam with the thought of Ava being hers. They hadn’t ever discussed it, maybe Ava had just thought it was implied? More likely, the both had no idea what they were doing, and had no clue how to have a relationship. With a pang in her heart, Beatrice hoped that they would have a chance to talk about it.

“I hope they make it back.” Beatrice expressed what everyone had already been thinking. 

“Me too.” Camila whispered, sitting next to Beatrice against the van. 

“Obviously I do too.” Mary added, joining them against the van. They sat quietly, shoulder to shoulder, lost in their own thoughts.

Ava felt the cold underneath her and she knew that they were back.  _ The halo is barely charged, I have to fight Adriel without it’s assistance, if I want to be able to push him into the ice.  _ As Ava planned, she got shakily to her feet, joining Lilith, and standing over Adriel. 

“Very clever…” Adriel whispered, slowly getting to his feet. Ava wondered if he felt as bad as she did right now. With sudden and shocking speed, Adriel pushed Ava back down, sending her sliding across the ice. Directly afterwards, having caught them both off guard, he punched Lilith in the nose. 

Every fibre of her body was screaming for rest, but Ava pounded her way back across the ice, gunning for Adriel. Lilith was doubled over, attempting to contain the blood that was seeping from her nose. 

“Ava, the blood!” Lilith shouted, just as Ava made contact with Adriel. A single drop of blood had escaped her grasp, splattering onto the ice. Ava knew the implication. Like clockwork, the roaring noises of pursuit filled the icy chamber. 

“You know what you need to do!” Lilith was already turned away from Ava, readying herself. “I’ll hold it off, but hurry!”

“I will, but stay close!” Ava yelled.

Ava knew that there were mere seconds left before their escape from Hell would be impossible. Using as little of the halo as possible, Ava managed to kick Adriel back, until he was up against the wall. Remembering what she learned in the warehouse, Ava placed her hand against his head, attempting to push into his mind, instead of letting him into hers. 

For a moment, it was like Ava was inside Adriel’s body, possessing him. The anger, his anger, was inside of her as well; it felt like poison. Behind the anger, though, Ava felt Adriel’s fear.  _ Of her?  _ She wondered, without an answer.

Adriel managed to push Ava back out of his mind, weakening them both. He slumped against the wall, unable to stand. Ava badly wanted to do the same. Knowing the sacrifices her sisters had made to get to this point, though, compelled her to push on.  _ Through pain, past fear.  _

Lilith turned, for a split second, just in time to see Ava phase into the wall, pushing Adriel ahead of her. 

“In this life or the next,” she whispered. When she turned back around, the demon had finally made himself known. A hulking beast, the size of a truck and a mess of claws, came barrelling towards her. 

Bravely, Lilith stood to fight, although she quickly realised that she was no match for the gargantuan creature. The first time it hit her, it felt as though she had been hit by a car, as she bounced across the ice. Her left arm, the one she caught herself with, crunched sickenly - broken by the impact. Still, she stood again, spitting blood from her mouth. 

Taking a different tactic, Lilith teleported around the massive beast, only stopping to run when her head started ringing too badly. She took care, however, to stay close to the wall where Ava had pushed Adriel, in order to make a quick escape. 

Within the wall, Ava was consciously trying to control her panicked breaths.  _ No shame in giving up now.  _ Adriel was powerless to move within the wall, within Ava’s grip, so he resorted to taunting her. She delicately phased forwards, trying to avoid Divinium shards. Pushing Adriel in front of her helped absorb some of the damage. 

_ I’ll find a way out of here, I promise you. I’ll kill everyone you care about and then some. You know what it looks like, I know you’ve seen it.  _ Adriel was referencing Ava’s nightmares, trying to drain what was left of her emotional energy. Ava knew that, if he were to succeed, she would be stuck in this wall as well. 

Adriel flooded Ava’s mind with the worst of her nightmares as she turned, slowly, to phase out of the wall. This part of the mission had felt interminable, but Ava knew she couldn’t have been in the wall for more than a minute, likely less. 

When Ava was only a few inches from the edge, she felt Adriel’s hand on her shoulder. He was cold, she noticed, in this last ditch effort.  _ It was going to work!  _ Ava thought, moments before the nightmares flooded her mind. She screamed, although the sound was lost in the ice, at the images Adriel conjured in her mind. 

Ironically, Adriel gave Ava the push she needed, when he forced his hand through her shoulder. Ava felt the entire joint rip apart, shattering under the skin. The halo pulsed, slightly, pushing Ava back out of the wall, without Adriel. She turned back, transfixed, looking at his face through the opaque window. 

Lilith was by Ava’s side as she collapsed, blood pouring from the wound, incensing the huge demon even further. Thankfully, Lilith had enough strength left to teleport them back, but only just. Adriel’s last image, before freezing completely, was a near comatose Ava, giving him the finger. 

Beatrice’s ears pricked up as a familiar static filled the air, a split second before Lilith and Ava cracked back into existence. A smile filled her face, but fell quickly, when she saw the state that they were in. Ava was completely unconscious and bleeding, and Lilith looked as though she had only moments before she succumbed to the same fate. 

By the grace of God, they all made it into the van, before police could show up. Mary took the wheel, as she was in the best shape by far. 

“Where are we headed?” She asked, as they left the city. 

“Home.” Beatrice answered, as she held Ava’s broken body in the back seat, tears freely falling. 


	17. The Silver Spoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith recounts her and Ava's journey to hell, as Beatrice waits for Ava to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on the fence about writing a sequel to this. I think this is a good ending point, but at the same time, there is so much more I want to explore with these characters. Comment whether or not you think a sequel is a good idea, please! 
> 
> <3 <3 <3 <3

The Cat’s Cradle that the sisters returned to was a far cry from the one that they left. Mother Superion and the remaining nuns, those that weren’t faithful to Duretti, had made their way back. Upon seeing Cat’s Cradle functioning as it used to, each sister felt relieved beyond belief. 

Normally reserved and polite, Mother Superion was beyond happy to see them return. She was decidedly less pleased, however, with the sorry state they were in. Without a word, several nuns were escorting the group to the infirmary. Ava still hadn’t awoken or healed. 

“Everyone is talking about us!” Camila entered Ava’s room the next day, on crutches. The smile on her face was contagious. 

“All good things, I hope?” Mary asked, cooly, leaning against the opposite wall. 

“Did you tell people what happened?” Lilith questioned, perched on a chair in the corner. Beatrice didn’t speak, she sat quietly next to Ava’s bed. 

“Well…” Camila looked down, although her smile didn’t fade. “How could I not? It was awesome! We saved the world! Ava is so powerful, imagine what she could do with training!”

“If she ever wakes up…” Beatrice added quietly.

“Don’t worry, she will.” Mary told her, confidently.

Beatrice turned to Lilith. “What happened down  _ there? _ ” 

“Whatever Ava did before we  _ left… _ I’m not sure what it was, still, but she was drained. But we didn’t have a choice, did we? I wasn’t going to wait for Adriel to get back up, so I took the opportunity.” Lilith explained; the gash across the bridge of her nose made her look more dangerous than she already was. 

“A calculated risk…” Beatrice trailed off, wondering if she would have made the same decision.

“Exactly. When we got  _ there  _ she had to fight Adriel without the aid of the halo… We all know how Ava’s combat skills are. Somehow, she managed to hold her own.” Camila laughed, quietly, as did Mary. 

“There’s a problem with the bottom of  _ Hell,  _ though. You can’t bleed… Well, you can, but you  _ really  _ shouldn’t.”

“Why?” Camila asked, innocently. 

“It attracts guardians - demons.” Lilith answered, simply. Camila looked as though she was resisting the urge to take notes. 

“Adriel made an impressively fast attack…” Lilith pointed to her nose as she spoke. “Fully aware of the implication. Ava and I had to split up, then. She took Adriel, I took the demon.” 

“You took the demon? Alone?” Camila was awestruck, Lilith offered her a smile. 

“I didn’t have a choice, did I?” 

“Before Ava began phasing Adriel through the wall, something… Well, something odd happened. I’m still not sure how to explain it.” 

“Try.” Mary requested, simply. Lilith sighed.

“It was like… It was like… Do you guys remember the first time that Ava used the halo to find Adriel? And it kind of messed her up?” She was answered with nods. 

“It was like that, except, she did it to him. It was kind of terrifying. At that moment, she didn’t seem like Ava anymore. There was so much anger… You could feel it in the air.” Beatrice looked at Lilith. She was both thankful and horrified at this recount of events. She turned her attention back to Ava’s still face. 

“I don’t know what happened next, I’m sorry. I was a little preoccupied with the demon. It hit like a bloody truck.” Lilith held up her casted arm. Beatrice had read Lilith’s medical report the day before. It wasn’t just broken - the bone had been absolutely shattered. 

“Just think, Lilith, it was only a few weeks ago you were trying to kill Ava. But last night, you two saved the world!” Mary laughed, although Lilith didn’t seem to think it was funny.

“I wish that weren’t true.” Lilith looked down, obviously ashamed. “I still think that Ava secretly hates me.”

“She doesn’t.” Beatrice whispered, just loud enough to be heard. “She thinks you should have gotten the halo - that you should have taken it. She thinks you would have been a much better halo bearer.” 

“That doesn’t sound like Ava…” Lilith trailed off, looking out the window instead of meeting everyone’s eyes. 

“She doesn’t hate you, Lilith. You two make a great team, a powerful team. Try not to let this weigh on you.” Beatrice wanted to talk louder, but the pain in her ribcage kept her voice to a whisper. 

It was of no surprise to anyone that Beatrice refused to leave Ava’s side. That night was no different. Beatrice sat alone, much later, watching the shadows grow long across the floor. She was deep, almost unreachable, in her tumultuous tangle of thoughts. Reconciling everything that happened would take some serious work, Beatrice concluded.

“Beatrice?” A hoarse whisper, but unmistakably Ava. 

“Ava?” Beatrice drew closer, taking Ava’s hand in hers. 

“You’re alive.” Ava hadn’t opened her eyes, but Beatrice knew for sure now that she wasn’t imagining Ava’s voice. 

“Yes, I am. You are too.” 

“Oh, that’s good. Are you hurt?” Ava sounded surprised; surprised and concerned. 

“Nothing that won’t heal. How are you?” Beatrice barely registered the pain she was feeling a minute ago, as the excitement of Ava’s waking had overridden it. 

“Happy.” Ava’s eyes opened, meeting Beatrice’s confidently. “I think I did it this time. For real.”

Ava tenderly pulled herself into a sitting position, to talk to Beatrice properly. Reaching out, Ava ran her fingers along Beatrice’s face, so gently that it was almost imperceptible. 

“That’s going to be a cute scar.” Ava added, with a shy smile. 

“That’s what all the ladies tell me.” Beatrice found herself laughing, despite the pain. 

It was short lived, however, as she composed herself. “I was scared you wouldn’t wake up.”

“I’m sorry…” Ava looked down, feeling guilty. 

“Don’t be sorry… Just… I love you. We have only barely scratched the surface of…  _ This.  _ I don’t think I could bear losing you.”

Looking back up, the grin on Ava’s face seemed to light up the room. “I love you, too.”


End file.
